Child dies after being struck in driveway in Silver Springs

[File photo by Bruce Ackerman]

A 3-year-old girl died after being struck by a vehicle backing up in the driveway area of a residence in a Silver Springs mobile home park on April 12, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

The fatality occurred at a numbered lot in the Lindale Mobile Home Park, which is located in the 5400 block of Northeast 35th Street. An FHP press release stated the fatality occurred around 3:51 p.m.

According to the release, a 21-year-old Silver Springs man driving a pickup truck was reversing out of the driveway of a residence. The victim was in the driveway behind the pickup truck. The rear of the pickup truck collided with the victim.”

Members of Marion County Fire Rescue pronounced the victim, also of Silver Springs, deceased at 4 p.m., the press release indicated.      

FHP Trooper D. Brown, a crash investigator, confirmed on scene that the victim and the driver have a “family connection.”

A nearby neighbor with a 7-year-old daughter who played with the victim, said it was “not an afternoon we would ever dream of.”

The neighbor said the victim was always a happy child and he “never saw her cry.”

“I don’t know how to process this; I can’t imagine what (the victim’s family) is going through,” the neighbor said.

The neighbor was looking for the “most graceful” way to explain the tragic loss to his 7- and 9-year-old children.  

According to preliminary data at the FHP Crash Dashboard at flhsmv.gov, 19 people have died in Marion County traffic incidents from Jan. 1 to April 1 and two have been pedestrians.