A 2-year-old boy wandered away from a Mother’s Day gathering in a Denver front yard Sunday and into the street, where he was struck and killed by a passing truck.
The child’s name was not released.
Denver police spokesman Sonny Jackson said the child stepped from behind a parked car in the 400 block of South Clay Street near West Dakota Avenue at about 5:36 p.m.
“The child just got away from everyone for just a second,” he said.
Horrified family members were only a few feet away. The child died before emergency medics arrived.
Jackson said the incident remains under investigation, but neither drugs nor alcohol appear to have played a role. The driver was not charged.
“It wasn’t a hit-and-run or anything. The driver, a woman, stopped immediately,” he said. “It appears to be just a very tragic accident.”
Neighbor Jeanette Wild told KDVR-Channel 31 the boy’s father was chasing after him.
“I heard him wailing down there,” she said of the father. “And it was really hard.”
She added, “They’re an awesome family, and they’re always having parties in their front yard. They’re just good people — really, really good, decent people.”
Joey Bunch: 303-954-1174 or jbunch@denverpost.com
