A 7-year-old is dead after a tow truck struck him while he was walking to school with his mother Thursday morning, New York authorities said.
The tragedy occurred at around 7:45 a.m. in the Fort Greene neighborhood of Brooklyn.
The tow truck belonging to the New York Police Department was heading westbound on Myrtle Ave when it arrived at an intersection with North Portland Avenue.
The truck driver attempted to make a right turn just as the boy and his mother were in the crosswalk, leading to the truck striking the boy, NYPD Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey said at a press conference.
Emergency medical services pronounced the boy dead on arrival.
Maddrey said the incident is now an active investigation, and as such, there are limited details at this time.
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"My heart goes out to the family of that young boy and his mother, his school, his teachers who were also on the scene," he said. "Very tough scene to be at this morning."
Tyrana Carter told The New York Times she saw the boy riding a bright green scooter next to his mother, who was pushing another child in a stroller, when the 54-year-old female driver struck the boy, after appearing to try to beat a yellow light.
Thursday morning, a white sheet still appeared in the sectioned-off crosswalk next to a green scooter and a small backpack, the publication reported.
Nine children have been killed by traffic collisions so far this year, according to safe-streets group Transportation Alternatives. The group reports the 7-year-old was the 73rd pedestrian to be killed overall by traffic collisions this year.
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