A seven-year-old girl was fatally struck by a vehicle on Tuesday night in Arlington, Texas, according to accident reports.
The Tarrant County Medical Examiner identified her as Tamara Mendoza.
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The accident occurred near the 800 block of Blue Sky Drive in the southeast of the city.
Officers responded to the crash around 8:30 p.m. and found Mendoza.
She was taken to a nearby hospital where medical personnel pronounced her dead.
Investigators believe the SUV was going south on Blue Sky Drive when Mendoza tried to cross the street. The vehicle hit her and then ran her over.
Police say the driver was in his 60s and he was cooperative. He was released at the scene and the authorities don’t believe speed or alcohol factored into the crash.
The man’s name was not released.
The crash will remain under investigation.
An estimated 6,590 pedestrians were killed in the United States in 2019, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association.
This projection was based on fatalities for the first six months of the year and it would be the highest number in 30 years. The raw data was adjusted for historical trends that indicated a five percent year-on-year increase.
In 2018, 6,227 people on foot died in accidents involving motor vehicles.
Meanwhile, pedestrians were expected to account for 17 percent of all traffic-related deaths in 2019 compared to 12 percent in 2009.
Pedestrian deaths have been increasing in a significant way over the last ten years while other traffic fatalities increased by just two percent.