5-YO Girl Dies After Being Hit by Truck While Crossing the Street to Attend an Art Class | “An Impossible Void”

After being struck by a tractor-trailer on May 9 at a busy crossroads in Andover, Massachusetts, a bright, young 5-year-old girl tragically passed away. The Essex County District Attorney's Office identified the child as Sidney Mae Olson, NBC Boston reported. Olsen's family shared in a statement received by PEOPLE that they were traveling on Main Street to attend an art class at the time of the collision.

Olson sought to cross Elm Street with a member of her family because the crosswalk sign indicated that it was still safe to do so. "As long-time residents of the neighborhood, we've followed that route hundreds of times before. The rest was a blur, and Sidney was struck by a truck and killed, leaving an impossible void in our lives," the statement read. As reported by local station WCVB-5, authorities stated that numerous persons who were at the crossing at the time were not harmed but were nonetheless taken to Lawrence General Hospital.

Olson was declared dead at the scene, according to state police. "Sidney was a bright-eyed, energetic girl with springy curls," the family's statement described her. "She was fiercely creative, styling her own outfits, choreographing elaborate performances, and filling our home with her unique brand of abstract art."

"She picked flowers everywhere she went," the grieving family shared. "She memorized every lyric to a dozen Taylor Swift songs, gladly taking the microphone to sing along in crowded karaoke sessions," the family shared of the bubbly young girl.

The statement further stated that Sidney chose a rainbow theme for her "last birthday" since "it includes everyone's favorite color." The family also said, "Our greatest hope is that Sidney's boundless love for everyone encourages others to look out for the common good of our community following this tragedy." 

The child's family is urging action to improve child safety at the busy crossroads and crossing. "This intersection has long been considered dangerous. While we're not engineers, we also know our community can do better," the statement read. "We hope the town makes fast changes to that and other high-traffic intersections so no one has to experience the pain we feel right now."

In a statement issued by the municipality on Wednesday, May 10, it was stated that the truck's driver had stopped following the collision and had been cooperative with the authorities. According to NBC-10 Boston, the driver is employed by Sysco, a food distribution business.

A statement describing the situation was also released by Sysco. "The Sysco family is heartbroken to learn of the tragic death of a pedestrian today in an incident involving one of our vehicles from Sysco Boston," the written statement said, according to WCVB-5. "We offer our condolences and prayers to the individual's family and community and are grieving with them for their loss."

References:

https://people.com/human-interest/girl-dies-after-being-struck-by-tractor-trailer-while-crossing-street/

https://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/family-of-andover-girl-killed-by-truck-new-statement/3043174/

https://www.wcvb.com/article/andover-massachusetts-fatal-pedestrian-crash-elm-square/43843775#

Cover Image Source: YouTube | CBS News Boston