Four-year-old Edmonton boy dies after colliding with car while he was out playing

A four-year-old boy was pronounced dead at the Stollery Children’s Hospital after police say he ran out between parked cars and then into the side of a vehicle that was travelling on 44A Avenue near 35 Street on Friday night.

Cst. Braydon Lawrence with the Edmonton Police Major Collision Investigation Unit said the child was in a cul-de-sac in Kiniski Gardens, a Mill Woods neighbourhood, playing with his six-year-old brother and seven-year-old friend.

Lawrence said 911 was called at around 8:20 p.m., after the youngest child collided with the rear side of a Mazda3.

Officers believe the child’s head then hit the pavement.

Police said the boy’s injuries were not consistent with being run over by a vehicle.

Investigators have already spoken with the driver of the Mazda3, a man in his late 20s. Lawrence said he was quite shaken up by what happened.

There are no charges pending at this time.

“It’s early in the investigation to say if there will be charges or not, however it does appear that this small child might have just run out onto the road between a couple of parked cars,” Lawrence said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "It's early in the investigation to say if there will be charges or not, however it does appear that this small child might have just run out onto the road between a couple of parked cars," Lawrence said.

The child lives in the cul-de-sac but the driver was just visiting the neighbourhood.

The investigation is ongoing and police are asking for the public’s help.

“We’ve already completed some door-to-door knocks. We’re hoping for any witnesses that might have seen this. We don’t have any witnesses to this collision. So if there’s anybody out there that saw this, we would like to know.”

Neighbours say there are multiple families with young children that live in the immediate area.

Guillermo Recinos lives across the street and was shocked by what happened.

“I have kids, and you never imagine things like that will happen,” he said. “A little kid just hitting a car is – that’s it, it’s fatal. It doesn’t matter if the driver is driving slow or not.”

“It’s just sad that a life is lost. Maybe people can learn some lessons. It’s tough for the parents.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "It's just sad that a life is lost. Maybe people can learn some lessons. It's tough for the parents."

Other neighbours are now reminding their own children about safety around vehicles.

“I just explained to them that it’s dangerous in the street without any parents,” said Sarce Sio.

Ben Olson said he tries to keep his step-children away from the street.

“When we have our kids we try to put them in the backyard – but you know kids get out, they run around. They’re kids.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "When we have our kids we try to put them in the backyard - but you know kids get out, they run around. They're kids."

He said he’ll be going over road rules with his children too.

“Same things we always tell them. You’ve got to be careful. Make eye contact with somebody when you’re crossing the street. Don’t run out between cars. Don’t run out in the street. Don’t chase things. It’s all the same stuff all the time but it’s very important.”