Walking home with friends, girl, 5, hit and killed by car
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PORTLAND, Ore. – A 5-year-old girl on her way home from a family friend's house was hit and killed by a car Thursday night while trying to cross the street with two other children, according to Portland police.
Morgan Maynard-Cook was hit at Southeast 136th Avenue and Ellis Street just after 7 p.m., police said.
Zach Peterson, 13, was holding the hands of Morgan and his niece while they walked across 136th Avenue across from Morgan's home.
A car stopped for them but Morgan, thinking there were no other cars coming, bolted from Peterson’s hand. She was hit by a four-door Suzuki Sidekick driven by a 69-year-old woman who couldn’t stop in time, said Lt. Chris Davis with the Portland Police Bureau.
"I said, 'No Morgan, wait!" Peterson said. "And a car smacked into her. I saw her go into the hood, and then she flew across the street and landed in the dirt. So I ran over across the street, told my niece to wait on the other side of the street, dropped all my stuff and carried her to (her) house."
Morgan's sister called 911, Davis said.
Police said Morgan died on the way to the hospital.
Morgan's mother, Connie Ruiz, said Morgan was the youngest of seven children and was a kindergartner at Gilbert Park Elementary School.
She described her daughter as funny and smart. "She was so clever and curious and full of life," she said.
Ruiz was still in shock late Thursday night and the tragedy hadn't yet sunk in.
"I don't know what to feel or think. It doesn't seem real," she said.
Ruiz said the area is dangerous and hopes the city will put in a crosswalk and a light. "I'm hoping, really hoping, that the city of whoever is responsible can possibly take a look at putting in a crosswalk, or even a light in. It's very dangerous. There's kids up and down the road all day long."
The Traffic Division's Major Crash Team investigated the crash. Police said the driver remained at the scene and cooperated. Traffic was blocked in the area as police conducted their investigation.
Davis said there is no indication that drugs or alcohol were involved, and it is believed the driver was driving at or below the speed limit.
This version corrects the age of the girl to 5 instead of 4.
Statement from Portland Mayor Charlie Hales
My heart goes out to the family of Morgan. As a parent, I can find no words that are sufficient to describe this horrible occurrence.
My thoughts also are with the Portland Police officers who responded last night. Each of them has family, too, and each is affected by such tragedies in different ways.
Safety throughout the city has to be our first priority. I have been at work fewer than 60 days, and so far the city of Portland has experienced eight automobile-related fatalities, four of which were pedestrian deaths.
There has been a lot of talk of late about paving streets, and about sidewalks and crosswalks throughout our city. There has been a lot of talk about the backlog of projects, and about how to pay for these core responsibilities. As always, public safety has to be our North Star, guiding all of our decisions in every part of the city.
We will work through these decisions together, as involved citizens, as elected officials, as city employees, as residents of Portland, and as people who are holding our families a little bit tighter today.
logi_cal869 "READ MY COMMENT, idiote"   "Wow, I guess you told me.   I work for a living too. Again, whats your point?  OK. I'll concede that two or more wrongs were committed here. But the child is still dead, the driver that sped past needed to be paying attention, the parent needed to be with the child 24/7 when out and about, and, the teen that was with them was 13 and will feel guilt for the rest of his life.
Parents need to be parents 24 hours a day, seven days a week from the minute the kid comes out of that belly. If you can't supervise your children, don't have them. Why is a child supervising a child at 7:00 PM in the streets of Portland?
Here in Eugene, I see kids playing in the neighborhood streets daily: WHY I ASK. PLEASE KEEP THEM OFF THE STREET PEOPLE. Just because the city makes developers build narrow "11" foot wide streets, dose not mean your toddlers/ kids should ride there tricycles/bikes on them. SCARES the heck out of me. My kids won't be doing it, I'm not going to allow them to be the victim, by simply being a responsible adult with common sense.
why is it that in Oregon you can run down a pedestrian and not face jail time? Â Any driver hitting and injuring a pedestrian or bicyclist should face a mandatory year in jail !! Â 69 years old....too bad
@Arcanobacter Hemolyticum The article said the little girl ran in front of the car. This is as sad as it gets. She should have never been aloud in the front yard without an adult.
Ok, fine. The pedestrian has the right-of-way. That's a legal definition that does what to protect children?
Try telling that to the mother.
This was an accident. If you want to place blame then it's equally on the adult that was there and her parent that failed to educate the girl that a moving car means death.
30 years I walked/biked/skateboarded in Portland from the age of 5 and never had an incident with a vehicle BECAUSE I RESPECTED THE FACT THAT NOT DOING SO WOULD KILL ME. Thank you Mom & Dad.
@logi_cal869 READ the Article! The "adult" as you say that was with the two girls was a 13 year old relative. So I guess you are saying to blame him? Not sure what your point is? Do you have one or are you just trying to lay blame on Morgan for not being taught the proper way to cross the street by her parent? Or are you defending the driver?
I'm glad your parents taught you well so you can live deride others for this loss of life of a young child.
@Sparky62Â @logi_cal869Â READ MY COMMENT, idiote. I read the article TWICE, thank you for the rip. I work for a living and somehow missed his age. WHAT DIFFERENCE DOES IT MAKE?
I'm sick and tired of blame automatically assigned to CARS, like the real people that drive them are somehow cold & heartless. I stated it WAS AN ACCIDENT and that any blame be shared EQUALLY. Being 13 does NOT let him off the hook; it was HIS RESPONSIBILITY, the safety of that child. But who gave him that responsibility?
WHERE WAS THE PARENT(s)?????????????
Horrible, just horrible. My thoughts and prayers go out to the family, friends and, especially to Zach, who, as Sparky62 said will most likely feel responsible. I really hope those around him will convince him that the fault was not his and he should not let it follow him through life.
Children need to be taught that although cars have to stop, and that they can safely cross streets because of this, that cars DONâT ALWAYS DO THIS! They need to be told that they must be careful and always watch out.Â
I knew a family that lost a young boy to a similar accident crossing a road after getting off a school bus. It was and always will be tragic and unnecessary.
Vehicles and drivers: Leave earlier and slow down!!!! There is nowhere you need to be that is worth risking harming anyone by speeding or not being especially cautious at all times.
This is so, so tragic it just breaks my heart. I'm sure Zach is going to wonder for years to come if it was somehow his fault. I hope-he and others- don't blame him for this tragic accident.
I've too many times seen a car(or myself) stop for a pedestrian as other cars zoom past clueless that just maybe the other car stopped for a reason. People are in too much of a hurry and figure the car stopped is just doing it to annoy them.
As I understand the traffic laws, even in an unmarked area, the pedestrian has the right-of-way.