South Boston is in shock after a car crash sent a van onto a sidewalk, killing a 3-year-old boy and injuring his 4-year-old sister.
What to Know
- A 3-year-old boy was killed and his 4-year-old sister injured when a minivan plowed into a stroller in South Boston on Wednesday
- The crash happened around 3:13 p.m. at the intersection of L and East 6th streets
- The cause of the crash remains under investigation
A 3-year-old boy was killed and his 4-year-old sister injured when a minivan plowed into a stroller in South Boston on Wednesday afternoon.
The crash happened around 3:13 p.m. at the intersection of L and East 6th streets. Boston Police Commissioner William Evans said the accident involved a green minivan and a white Prius. He said the minivan then went up onto the sidewalk, hitting the two children.
The 3-year-old boy was taken to an area hospital where he later died. His sister is at an area hospital and is expected to survive.
"A tragic accident here in South Boston," Evans said. "Our heart goes out to the parents, obviously. A terrible tragedy. It's everybody's worst nightmare."
Police originally said that a 4-year-old had been killed and a 3-year-old injured, but later corrected that report.
A baby stroller could be seen between two vehicles at the scene. Evans said the woman who was pushing the stroller was not injured but was understandably shaken up.
Witness Susan Devlin said it appeared a nanny was walking with the kids on the sidewalk.
"It was pretty obvious that the van smashed into the fence. Then we saw the baby carriage and a woman screaming and we knew there was children involved," Devlin said. "Just seeing the child laying on the sidewalk was devastating."
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Evans said the drivers of both vehicles remained at the scene and are being interviewed by police.
Several other cars were also damaged.
Evans said there had been street cleaning earlier in the day and unfortunately, there were no vehicles around to act as a barrier.
"Normally, because of street cleaning, something like this might not have happened, but the van was able to come up across the way. Looks like it might have gone up to the curb or at least on the sidewalk and struck both babies," said Evans. "A real tragedy."
The investigation into what caused the crash is ongoing and Evans said the intersection is expected to be shut down for some time.
