If you drive a little more than 40 miles west of St. Louis, you’ll arrive in suburban Wentzville. Residents were shocked over the weekend when they learned a two-year-old girl was struck and killed by an ice cream truck there.
The tragic pedestrian accident was at about 3:45 on Sunday afternoon, a spokesperson for the Wentzville Police Department said.
The little girl was transported to a nearby hospital, where she was pronounced dead about one hour after she had been hit by the truck, the spokesperson said.
The toddler had been among a group of adults and kids who purchased items from the truck. She apparently walked in front of the ice cream truck, which began moving and struck her.
“It’s a heartbreaking incident,” the spokesperson said. “I can’t help but think of my own family and children. It’s sad all the way around.”
Although the girl’s name was not released, a neighbor said she lived in a home across the street from where the tragedy occurred.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that the truck is apparently owned by a company called Cool Times Ice Cream. No one with the St. Louis County-based firm responded to a call or message.
Like everyone else who learned of this horrific event, we hope the little girl’s family will find a way to deal with their loss.
As we have mentioned more than once in this space, the most vulnerable to pedestrian accidents are the very young and the very old. In far too many cases, drivers do not pay sufficient attention and the unthinkable happens.
