A 4-year-old boy in Indiana died on Monday after he wandered onto a highway and was struck by a car in the middle of he night.
In a press release, the Warrick County Sheriff’s office identified the young boy as Braxton Freeze, and said the fatal accident took place just after 4am at State Road 66 and Lincoln Avenue.
The boy’s mother was visiting her boyfriend and the three were staying at a nearby business. As the two adults slept, Freeze wandered outside of where they were staying and ran into the middle of the road.
The driver, who was headed to work and driving 45 to 50 mph, immediately exited the vehicle and called 911 upon striking the child. Shortly after he began CPR on Freeze, following instructions over the phone from the emergency dispatcher.
Despite the driver’s efforts, Freeze was pronounced dead at the scene.
When his mother woke up the next morning she couldn’t find her son anywhere, Sheriff Michael Wilder told WFIE.
‘It’s a parent’s worst nightmare to find out that your child is dead,’ Chief Deputy Paul Kruse told the station.
‘The family of that child, the driver, to have to deal with that, and also all of the first responders on scene that took the call this morning; it impacts everyone that touches that incident,’ Kruse added.
Authorities say the driver had not seen the child on the road before the collision took place, and once they saw him there was nothing they could do except stop driving and perform CPR.
The sheriff’s office does not believe drugs or alcohol were involved in the incident.
The Warrick County Sheriff’s Office, the Indiana State Police, Warrick County Coroner’s Office and the Indiana Department of Child Services are all involved in the investigation, which remains ongoing.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
Share this with