A toddler has tragically died after he chased his family dog onto a busy road where he was struck by two vehicles on Wednesday night.
The devastating incident happened when the young boy, aged one-years-old, left his family home in on North Halifax Avenue in Daytona Beach, South Florida after the dog escaped the family home. Police rushed to the scene at around 8.21pm on Wednesday, April 23 where they found the young boy with severe injuries.
The unidentified one-year-old boy was rushed to Halifax Hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead an hour later. Bill Rhodes, the director of operations for the Daytona Beach Police Department confirmed further details about the tragic incident at a news conference on Thursday, WESH reports.
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Rhodes confirmed the boy was struck by a 2003 Honda CR-V which sent the toddler into the southbound lanes of the busy avenue, where he was then struck by a 2012 Chevy Silverado. He referred to the incident as a ‘traumatic and chaotic scene’. Officers do not believe the speed of any vehicles involved was a factor in the young boy’s death – and are still considering whether to bring charges against anyone in the case, MailOnline reports.
A statement on the police force’s Facebook page read: “On Wednesday, April 23, 2025, at approximately 8:21 p.m., officers with the Daytona Beach Police Department responded to the 2900 block of N. Halifax Avenue in reference to a motor vehicle accident involving a child pedestrian Upon arriving, officers located the child, who had sustained severe injuries after being struck by a vehicle.
“Preliminary investigation revealed that the child had exited their residence, following the family dog, which had escaped. While following the dog, the child entered oncoming traffic and was struck by a vehicle, followed by a second vehicle. The child was transported to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries and was later pronounced deceased by medical personnel This remains an active and ongoing investigation. At this time, there are no additional details to provide.”
It comes just days after after a four-year-old girl was killed in a ‘dog attack’ on Monday, April 14 at a family home in Indiana. Emergency services rushed to the property where officers found two people unresponsive and attempted to save their lives. The child, identified by police as Evelynn Lopez, was rushed to a nearby hospital, where she was sadly pronounced dead. The older woman, who police identified as Oliva Mora Regalado, was pronounced dead at the scene, according to authorities.
The investigation revealed that there were six pitbulls and one poodle mix inside the residence at the time of thee tragic incident. For the safety of everyone involved and the preservation of evidence, all dogs were sedated and then euthanised on scene.
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