Child dies after being struck by car

[File photo by Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette]

A 2 -year-old boy died after being struck by a car backing out of a driveway in Marion County on Feb. 10, the Florida Highway Patrol has reported.

According to an FHP press release, a 29-year-old woman from Ocklawaha was backing out of the driveway of a private residence around 3:15 p.m. as the child was playing in the driveway.

“(The SUV driver) was unable to observe the child behind the vehicle and as a result struck the child. The child was transported to HCA Florida Ocala Hospital where he was pronounced deceased,” the press release stated.

The complete address of the incident location was not immediately available from the FHP.

Preliminary data at the FHP Crash Dashboard at flhsmv.gov indicates that from Jan. 1 through Feb. 5 there have been three traffic fatalities in Marion County.