7-year-old on sled slides under passing van in ‘absolute tragedy,’ California cops say
.jpg "A 7-year-old boy died after his sled slid under a passing vehicle in Pine Cove, California, on a visit with his family, police say.")
A boy visiting a mountain community with his family died Sunday afternoon after his sled slid beneath a passing van, California Highway Patrol officers say.
The 7-year-old Beaumont boy had been sledding down a snow-packed driveway in Pine Cove near Mount San Jacinto west of Palm Springs, The Press-Enterprise reported.
Just before 3 p.m., the boy’s sled slid into the residential street and under a passing 2020 Ford Transit 350, KMIR reported.
The 35-year-old van driver stopped and helped move the severely injured child to a nearby fire station, where he was pronounced dead, The Desert Sun reported.
Drugs and alcohol have been ruled out in the accident, and the driver is cooperating with the investigation, CHP officers told The Press-Enterprise.
“This is an absolute tragedy and one that could have been prevented,” said Officer Matt Napier in a statement, KMIR reported. Napier urged people not to sled on active roadways.
The National Weather Service reported about 11 inches of snow fell on Pine Cove during last week’s storms, The Desert Sun reported.
This story was originally published March 16, 2021 at 2:57 PM with the headline "7-year-old on sled slides under passing van in ‘absolute tragedy,’ California cops say."