10-Month-Old Dies After She ‘Fell From a Vehicle and Was Struck’ | She Was ‘Unrestrained’ in the Back Seat

Editor's note: This article was originally published on June 15, 2022. It has since been updated.

A 10-month-old baby girl who was 'unrestrained' in the back seat of the car her mother was driving fell out of the vehicle before it struck her, according to PEOPLE. The Prince William County Police Department in Virginia took to Twitter to share that the department was looking into a "fatal crash" in Woodbridge on the afternoon of June 12th, 2022, when the baby girl "was killed when she fell from a vehicle and was struck."

A press release from the department revealed that a 35-year-old woman from Hyattsville, Maryland, was visiting relatives, and the incident occurred when she was leaving.

"*FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: #PWCPD Crash Investigators investigated a #fatal crash that occurred on Flotilla Way in #Woodbridge on Jun. 12 at approx. 1:15pm. a 10-month-old girl was killed when she fell from a vehicle and was struck. More info;" the press release stated. 

According to police reports, the mother was in a 2013 Toyota Highlander and she "placed her 10-month-old daughter in the backseat unrestrained before driving a short distance to a nearby dumpster."

The woman, who has not been publicly identified, went back to the family's home to "pick up additional family members," according to the release. When one of her relatives opened the back door, "the unrestrained child fell from the vehicle onto the roadway."

"Immediately," the mother got out of the car to check on her daughter, but the car was "still in drive" when she exited the vehicle, so it went forward and "struck the child," per the release.

The accident resulted in the child sustaining a serious head injury and the mother rushed the little one to the hospital, where the police were called. "The child died as a result of her injuries later in the day," officers said.

As of now, no charges have been placed on the mother, and the identity of the baby would remain concealed due to state law.

Several people commented that this was an accident that could have been avoided, had the mother just taken the extra two seconds to buckle her child up safely. One person wrote: "Someone dropped the whole baby. I know shit happens. But you outside that's different. Maybe I'm overprotective but mother nature the reaper anybody else are my enemies when I got a baby in my arms. I ain't dropping shit."

Meanwhile, first Sergeant Jonathan Perok of the Prince William County Police Department shared that they have nothing to add at this time, except that the investigation is still ongoing.
 
References:

https://people.com/human-interest/10-month-old-baby-dies-after-falling-out-of-car-and-getting-run-over-in-virginia-police/

https://twitter.com/PWCPolice/status/1536321209620635650?s=20&t=AlDtbSLa8io4LZv6kSN_rg

Representative Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Witthaya Prasongsin