An eight-month-old baby girl was riding traveling unrestrained in her mother’s car in Texas along with her three older siblings when police say the infant was ejected from the backseat and run over by another driver.
The tragic incident took place at around 10.30m on Monday on North MacArthur Drive near Ranchview Trail in Irving.
Officials with the Irving Police Department identified the deceased child as Kassidy Smith during a press conference on Monday afternoon.
They said the baby’s mother, who has not been named, is not facing any charges at the moment, but investigators said that could later change.
Eight-month-old Kassidy Smith died on Monday after falling out of her mother’s car in Irving, Texas, and getting run over by another driver
First responders are seen working on the mortally injured baby on MacArthur Boulevard on Monday. Police say the unsuspecting driver who ran over the baby left the scene
Police are looking for the driver of the black sedan that struck Kassidy after she fell out of her mother’s car, but they say they do not believe that person was aware they hit a person before leaving the scene, and they do not expect to file any charges against them.
According to the police, Kassidy’s mother was driving with the infant and her older children, ages 2, 3, and 6, in the car, none of whom was restrained, despite there being two car seats in the vehicle.
As the mother was turning left onto Ranchview Trail, the right back door opened for some unknown reason and Kassidy tumbled out of the car and onto the road.
Then, the driver of the black sedan ran over the eight-month-old and drove away, according to witness accounts.
Police say Kassidy’s mother was driving with the infant and her three siblings, ages 2, 3 and 6, unrestrained in her car
It is suspected that the baby tumbled out of the rear door either because it was not fully closed, or because one of the children accidentally opened it
‘We do not believe there was any malicious intent,’ Reeves said. ‘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.’
Kassidy’s aunt described her young niece as having ‘a smile that lighted the room up’
A person who saw the horrific incident unfold told police they initially thought it was a baby doll that fell out of the car. When they realized it was a child, they pulled over and rushed over to render aid.
Reeves said Kassidy’s mother could eventually face a ‘range of potential charges,’ including child endangerment.
The Texas Department of Family and Protective Service has launched its own investigation into the incident.
Meanwhile, Kassidy’s aunt has organized a GoFundMe campaign to help with her niece’s funeral.
‘Kassidy had a smile that lighted the room up,’ Shunketal Williams wrote in the description.
Investigators were interviewing Kassidy’s mother and her surviving children in an effort to understand what happened inside the car before the infant fell. It is unclear at this time whether the rear door was not fully closed, or whether one of the children accidentally opened it while the car was in motion.
Police are asking anyone who was driving in the area around 10.30am on Monday to contact them. They are also checking nearby businesses in search of surveillance video.
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