8-Year-Old Boy Dies, Second Child and Woman Hurt After Being Hit by Van in California

Stock photo of a police car. (Shutterstock)

An 8-year-old boy died and a child and woman were injured when a van hit the three as they were going to school in Southern California on Sept. 30.

The victims were at a crosswalk in Oxnard when they were hit by a van outside of Ramona Elementary School, reported KTLA. They were on their way to nearby Cesar Chavez Elementary School.

The 8-year-old boy, who was not named, eventually died from injuries sustained in the crash.

The victims were at a crosswalk in Oxnard when they were hit by a van outside of Ramona Elementary School (Google Street View)

A 9-year-old girl and her mother were also hit, but they are expected to survive, KTLA reported. According to the VC Star, the 9-year-old was conscious and speaking to paramedics.

The driver of the vehicle was identified as a 17-year-old female. Police said that it was not a hit-and-run case, and she stayed at the scene of the crash.

Police said she was dropping off her sister’s children at Ramona Elementary School when the crash occurred, according to KTLA.

A teacher and other people ran to provide aid when the crash took place. An officer arrived on the scene and began performing CPR on the child, according to the Star.

Police said she was dropping off her sister’s children at Ramona Elementary School when the crash occurred (Google Maps)

The also reported that a crossing guard was not on duty when the incident took place.

Police told KEYT that they do not believe drugs or alcohol were factors in the collision.

Other circumstances of the crash were not immediately known.

Other details about the case are not clear.

Crash Deaths in the United States

Tens of thousands of people are killed and millions injured each year from motor vehicle crashes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC says these deaths cost more than $380 million in direct medical costs.

The major risk factors for crash deaths in the United States are not using seat belts, car seats, and booster seats (factors in over 9,500 crash deaths); drunk driving (a factor in more than 10,000 crash deaths); and speeding (contributing to more than 9,500 crash deaths).

According to 2017 data from the CDC, the 10 leading causes of death in the United States were: heart disease, cancer, unintentional injuries, chronic lower respiratory diseases, stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, influenza and pneumonia, kidney disease, and suicide.

These further break down as follows: the most common are unintentional poisoning deaths (58,335), followed by motor vehicle traffic deaths (40,327), and unintentional fall deaths in third place (34,673).

The total number of emergency department visits for unintentional injuries in the United States in 2017 was 30.8 million, according to the CDC. The 10 leading causes accounted for 74 percent of all deaths in the United States in 2017.