CRAWFORDSVILLE, Ind. — Crawfordsville police confirmed a 7-year-old boy died from his injuries after being hit by a vehicle while trick-or-treating Monday night.
Witnesses told police that a driver in a Chevy Equinox stopped in a travel lane in the 2000 block of Traction Road, near East Wabash Avenue and North Englewood Drive, just before 7 p.m.
An adult passenger had the door open and had unloaded two children to go trick-or-treating, one of whom was the 7-year-old boy who was hit.
Meanwhile, a driver in a minivan was headed in the opposite direction on Traction Road.
The driver told police she suddenly came across a vehicle parked in the roadway. She said she saw people in the road and tried to stop but wasn't able to in time.
Police said the minivan hit the Equinox's open door, then ran over the adult passenger's foot and hit the 7-year-old trick-or-treater.
“With the weather the way it was that night, helicopters weren’t flying, so he was taken directly by ambulance to Riley Hospital in Indianapolis,” said Crawfordsville Police Assistant Chief Bob Rivers.
The boy was initially listed in critical condition, but Rivers told 13News he later died from his injuries.
Those who live on Traction Road said they don’t usually get a lot of trick-or-treaters because the area can get busy and there aren’t many spots to pull over.
“I don’t think people feel comfortable putting their kids on this road,” said Merlin Guthrie, who has lived on Traction Road for more than 40 years. “You go along here and obviously there is no place to get out."
Neighbors say even though the area is residential, many cars still fly by. There are also no sidewalks and very few streetlights.
“People need to respect the road, obviously," Guthrie said
Rivers said the other driver involved stayed on the scene that night and is cooperating with police.
“At this time, there have been no citations and no criminal charges,” he said. “She said she had no time to stop and barely had even seen them when she had struck the child.”
Police said the crash remains under investigation.
Anyone with information is being asked to contact Det. Lt. Templeman of the Crawfordsville Police Department at 765-362-3762 ext. 228.