Toddler struck by car at night killed
A toddler who had been put to bed Monday night, her mother said, died after being struck in the street by a car in San Leon.
The girl, who was 21 months old and whose name has not been released, was hit around 8:45 p.m. in the 1400 block of East Bay Shore Drive in the tiny Galveston County fishing hamlet.
Galveston County Sheriff ’s Office officials are investigating why the youngster was outside at night and in the middle of a road. Child Protective Services also has opened a case.
The child was struck about one block away from her residence on 15th Street, according to Galveston County Sheriff ’s Maj. Douglas Hudson.
Authorities have not determined whether the girl wandered out of her home on her own. The incident happened about seven blocks from the wellknown San Leon restaurants including Gilhooley’s and Bubba’s Shrimp Palace.
The child’s mother said she did not realize the girl was missing until deputies knocked on her door Monday night, authorities said.
According to a news release, the mother — whose name was not disclosed by authorities — told deputies that she placed the toddler in her crib for the night and went to the bathroom.
As of Tuesday morning, deputies were interviewing family members and a baby in the household had been sent to relatives.
“We are investigating,” CPS spokeswoman Tiffani Butler said Tuesday morning. “There is a 6-monthold sibling, a girl, who is staying with family.”
The motorist, who was traveling east, did not see the child walking in the middle of the road, according to a news release from the Galveston County Sheriff ’s Office.
“The driver stated he tried to avoid the child but it was too late,” the statement said.
The motorist flagged down a Galveston County deputy in a cruiser to report the incident. The officer found the child lying in the road “unresponsive and unconscious,” the release said.
The child was airlifted to UTMB Galveston, where she succumbed to her injuries.
The driver of the vehicle, whose name has not been released, is cooperating with the investigation and voluntarily provided a blood sample to authorities, the sheriff’s office reported. No charges had been filed as of Tuesday morning.