Toddler killed, 2 others injured during crash in Long Beach
LONG BEACH, Calif. - A toddler was killed and a young girl and a woman were injured when a driver reversed into the group as they sat on the front steps of a home in Long Beach.
What we know:
Officers responded shortly before 11:30 a.m. Monday to the 400 block of Maine Avenue to reports of a crash involving a vehicle and three pedestrians, according to the Long Beach Police Department.
A woman and two girls were struck by the vehicle and taken to a hospital.
The toddler was driven to a hospital by Long Beach police, but unfortunately died. The woman and the other girl were hospitalized and listed in stable condition.
Police said the motorist who struck the group was backing up the SUV, possibly trying to turn around, when the vehicle jumped the curb. The driver remained at the scene and was questioned by police. It was unclear if he was taken into custody or if drugs or alcohol played a role in the crash.
What they're saying:
Nearby resident Alisa Hill said that she ran outside after hearing a "blood-curdling" scream, and saw the woman pinned between the vehicle and a wall. She said the young girl had a gash on her leg.
"There was the white car backed up all the way onto someone's front porch that they were hanging out on," Hill said.
She said the driver was reversing the vehicle when the crash occurred.
"You know sometimes you switch pedals? Instead of braking, he gassed, and he gassed it enough and pinned that person up against, in between the wall and the car," she said. "They chill on the porch a lot."
The Source: Information for this story came from the Long Beach Police Department and City News Service.