In a heartbreaking, avoidable incident, an 8-month-old girl in Texas died after being hit by a vehicle. According to authorities, the little girl and her three siblings were being driven by their mother in a car when the shocking accident happened. All four kids were reportedly unstrained in the vehicle when one of the doors came open and caused the toddler to fall out of the moving car. She was then struck by a passing vehicle, the impact of which caused fatal injuries that ultimately led to her unfortunate demise.
The tragic accident unfolded on Monday, 15 November, at around 10 a.m. near North MacArthur Drive. According to reports, her mother was driving with her and three older siblings, ages 2, 3, and 6, in the car. Apparently, the kids were not restrained despite the fact that there were two car seats in the vehicle.
As the woman made a left turn, the right-back door popped open and resulted in Kassidy tumbling out of the car and onto the road. It’s not known how the car door opened, according to reports.
Then came a black sedan that ran over the 8-month-old baby, Kassidy Smith, and drove away, according to witnesses in the area. The baby’s mother, who has not been identified by police, is not facing any charges currently.
However, investigators noted that could change. As for the driver of the black sedan that struck Kassidy, authorities are looking for them. But no charges are expected to be filed against the person because police believe the person was not aware that they hit a person.
“We do not believe there was any malicious intent,” said spokesperson Reeves. “We are not calling it a hit-and-run because we don’t think the person that ran over the child knows they ran over that child. They might have thought it was a package or an animal possibly, and they just ran over it and kept going.” One passerby, who witnessed the incident, initially thought that a doll fell out of the car. But as soon as they realized it was a child, they pulled over and rushed to help, according to reports.
Investigators are currently interviewing Kassidy’s mother and her surviving children to know what exactly happened before the infant fell out of the car. It’s not clear whether the rear door was fully closed or not, or whether one of the kids accidentally opened it while the car was in motion.
Reeves revealed that the mother could possibly face a “range of potential charges,’ including child endangerment. Even the Texas Department of Family and Protective Service has launched an investigation. People with any information are urged to come forward and contact the police.