Updated Thursday, October 15, with details from the Chelsea Police Department.
A 2-year-old girl died after she was struck by a vehicle on Bellingham Street in Chelsea on Wednesday night, moments after she and her mother were dropped off in front of their home, Chelsea police said.
Officers were called to Bellingham Street at about 9:40 p.m. on October 14 for a report that a young child had been hit by a vehicle, according to a police statement released Thursday. They found the girl with serious injuries. Chelsea police officers, the Chelsea Fire Department and emergency medical crews gave her emergency aid at the scene, and police said officers attempted CPR. She was taken to Cambridge Health Alliance in Everett, where she was pronounced dead.
Police said preliminary information indicates the driver is the boyfriend of the girl’s mother. The driver stayed at the scene and was interviewed by Chelsea police detectives and Massachusetts State Police detectives assigned to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office, and has since been released, according to the department.
Based on preliminary witness statements and evidence gathered so far, the department said, the death “appears to be a tragic accident.” Investigators are still reviewing what happened. State Police crash reconstruction investigators are assisting, and police said further information will come from the Suffolk District Attorney’s Office. No one has been charged, and police have not released the girl’s name.
“This is a tragic incident involving the death of a very young child,” Police Chief Keith E. Houghton said in the statement. “Our officers and emergency responders provided immediate assistance at the scene and did everything possible to help save the young child. Our thoughts are with her family during this unimaginable loss, and we ask the community to respect their privacy during this extremely difficult time.”
The Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office confirmed it is investigating, NBC Boston reported. Chelsea Public Schools Superintendent Almi G. Abeyta sent a message to the community Thursday offering condolences to the girl’s family and saying school staff will be available across the district for any student who needs support. “A loss like this will affect all of us in different ways,” Abeyta wrote, according to NBC Boston.
City Manager Fidel Maltez shared an online fundraiser for the girl’s family on Facebook. “Our community is grieving the loss of a young life and helping her family navigate this very difficult time,” he wrote. “Please pray and support in any way possible.”
Several streets around the scene were taped off for hours Wednesday night while investigators worked, according to WCVB and Boston 25 News.