ORLANDO, Fla. – A 2-year-old boy was run over and killed by a SUV after his 12-year-old sister started the vehicle in the driveway of their Orange County home, the Florida Highway Patrol said.
The fatal accident took place about 6:25 p.m. in the 2400 block of Trafalgar Drive in Orlando.
Troopers said the girl started the Chevrolet Traverse to turn on the air-conditioning. Somehow, the vehicle was put in reverse and it backed over the toddler, Diego Juarez, who was standing in the driveway, according to the FHP.
The FHP said the family was planning to leave the house when the accident occurred.
Diego was rushed to Nemours Children’s Hospital before the Kissimmee Fire Department transferred him to the Osceola Regional Medical Center, FHP Sgt. Kim Montes said. He was pronounced dead at Osceola Regional Medical Center.
"It's a sad, unfortunate tragedy," a trooper said. "(That's) the way we're investigating it. "Our hearts, thoughts and prayers go out to the family. Something like this is tragic."
Investigators aren’t sure how the vehicle shifted into reverse, the FHP said.
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