2-Year-Old Boy Hit and Killed While Walking with Parents After Car Jumps Curb in Arizona

Rachel DeSantis
·2 min read

A 2-year-old boy walking on a sidewalk with his parents was struck and killed by a car in Arizona on Saturday.

The young family was walking on Hayden Road in Scottsdale around 9:40 a.m. when an SUV traveling southbound lost control and jumped the curb onto the sidewalk, the Scottsdale Police Department said in a news release obtained by PEOPLE.

The car, which was driven by a 28-year-old woman, struck the toddler as he walked. His parents were not injured.

Witnesses at the scene immediately began performing “life-saving aid” on the child until Scottsdale Fire paramedics arrived and transported him to a local hospital, where he later died, the release said.

Witness Gene Forsythe told KTVK he was working outside when he heard a large thump followed by loud screams.

“Everybody was just gathered around. There was a lot of emotions going on,” he said. “It’s horrible, and hearing that it was a child involved is really devastating. My heart is just, I’m emotional myself.”

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A roadside memorial set up in honor of the child featured stuffed animals, flowers and candy, according to photos shared by NBC affiliate KPNX.

The driver stayed at the scene and is cooperating with investigators, the release said. It does not appear that speed or impairment are factors in the crash.

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“Obviously it’s a tragedy, and it’s one of those things where pedestrians were up on the sidewalk where they belong, and this sort of thing happened, and we don’t know why and now a young life is lost,” Sgt. Brian Reynolds told KTVK.

Police said an investigation is ongoing.