73-Year-Old Surrenders To The Police After Hit-And-Run Kills 3-Year-Old Boy

A 73-year-old woman turned herself in to the police after a hit-and-run collision Thursday evening killed a toddler boy near his daycare in Victoria, Australia.

Emergency responders arrived at the scene on McIntyre Road around 6:30 p.m. local time after the tragic accident. Cops said the victim, identified as 3-year-old Ethan Nguyen of Sunshine North, was being picked up from the daycare by his mom when he ran into the road and was struck by a red Toyota Camry, The Guardian reported.

The involved motorist, from Heathcote Junction, surrendered to a police station in Melbourne’s northern suburbs on Friday morning, Triple M reported. As per the report of The Guardian, the front right-hand side of the car is believed to have hit the child, who was then dragged under the wheels for about 20-30 meters.

The helpless mother of the young boy witnessed her son being killed in the crash. The child was treated at the scene before he was taken to the Royal Children's Hospital with critical head injuries. The little boy passed away overnight.

Police said the sedan's driver didn't render support and drove off after hitting the child. Victoria Police Superintendent John Fitzpatrick police don't believe the speeding or reckless driving was a factor in the incident, according to The Guardian.

Detective Acting Sergeant of Victoria Police, Leigh Miller had urged the driver to come forward and assist with the investigation. "We're going to appeal to the driver of that car that if they realize now, if they didn't realize at the time that they have hit a child - that the best thing they can do is come forward now and help us with our investigation," Triple M quoted him, as saying.

Fitzpatrick said the motorist might have failed to notice the toddler due to his size. "It is believed the child was struck by a driver in a red sedan who failed to stop at the scene," 7 News quoted him, as saying. "That’s largely due to the size and the age of that little guy - it’s a tragic set of circumstances," Fitzpatrick told Melbourne radio station 3AW, according to 7 News.

Fitzpatrick said the child's family was overcome with grief after his death. "Losing a beautiful young child like that is going to be devastating and they’re going to be like this for a little while," he said, according to The Guardian. "The mother is besides herself with grief so we haven’t had an opportunity to speak to her as yet … we’ll speak to her when she’s able."

Police have seized the car, which will now undergo forensic testing, reported The Guardian.