A day after a 4-year-old girl was killed by a pickup truck steps away from Boston Children's Museum, the institution's president released a statement mourning the girl's loss.
The incident occurred just after 5 p.m. Sunday at the intersection of Congress and Sleeper streets in the Seaport District, Boston police said.
Police haven't identified the girl, but said she was with family members when, for some reason, she ended up in the road. Moments later, she was hit by a vehicle.
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A police report identified the vehicle as a Ford F-150 pickup truck and said the girl was found unconscious on Sleeper Street.
The 4-year-old was immediately rushed to Massachusetts General Hospital, where she was pronounced dead at 5:51 p.m.
The driver, who also hasn't been identified, remained on scene until officers arrived, according to police. No charges have been filed so far and no arrests were made.
Officials haven't said if the family had been at the Boston Children Museum on Sunday; a museum representative didn't know if that was the case. The museum closes at 4 p.m. on Sundays, over an hour before the deadly crash.
The museum's president, Carole Charnow, said in a statement that there were already plans to address safety at the intersection where the girl was killed, but that the museum is hopeful that more can be done immediately.
"Boston Children’s Museum is devastated by this tragedy and our hearts go out to the family of the little girl. We know that there continue to be issues with this intersection of Congress Street and Sleeper Street that are related to speed and site lines. While we know that there are plans in the works to permanently address this issue, we hope that something can be done right away to ensure pedestrian safety," she said in the statement.
The museum was previously scheduled to be closed this week for upgrades to the facility.
Witnesses and neighbors were shocked at the tragic crash.
"It's so sad. Even us, we were there just an hour and a half before then. Sad, awful," said Kim Harris. "I'm sure they were doing the same thing that we were doing — going to museum for a day to have a good day. Then, they went home, and tragedy struck."
"We are planning to attend a previously scheduled Fort Point Neighborhood Association meeting tomorrow to learn more about the plans to immediately address our safety concerns," the museum added in its statement.
"In our regular monthly March meeting on 3/26 we had scheduled an update from the City of Boston Transportation and Public Works teams on the project to improve Sleeper Street, Congress Street and A Street," the Fort Point Neighborhood Association said in a statement Monday. "That has taken on a new sense of urgency with the tragic death of the toddler yesterday. Not only are we expecting an overall update on the project but we have also asked what will be done in the interim to fix any deficiencies with the intersection of Congress Street and Sleeper Street."
