According to ABC News 36, 7-year-old Jasmine Collins of Manchester, Kentucky was killed after being hit by an tractor-trailer transport truck on Wednesday, February 19, 2014.

Coroner Danny Finley stated Collins was playing outside with her friend, a 12 -year-old girl, when she stepped onto Hal Rogers Parkway.

Details of the Fatal Pedestrian Accident

“I covered her up and just comforted and talked to her. By that point I realized that the baby was almost gone. It’s been horrible. I can’t shut my eyes without thinking about that baby.” – Rita Wooteon as published by WYMT-TV Mountain News

• After school, Collins and the 12-year-old girl were playing outside when Collins was struck around 6:50pm. Collins’ mother was not aware the two girls had left the yard.
• Investigators stated Collins was struck by an 18-wheeler around 6:50 pm. Clay County Sheriff Kevin Johnson says she died at about 8:00pm at a local hospital.
• Coroner Finley determined the cause of death was multiple blunt force trauma. Investigators did not state whether or not the girls were walking with or against the flow of traffic.
• Investigators followed standard procedures, and tested the driver for drugs and alcohol; however, it could be weeks before the results from the samples will be known. The truck driver has not been charged, and the police stated he was cooperative.
• The truck driver’s name was not released.

Pace’s Creek Elementary School Copes with the Loss & Local Police Raise Funeral Funds

• At Pace’s Creek Elementary School, Collins’ school of 350 students, students and staff are struggling with their recent loss.
• The school has offered the students several grief counselors, and a pastor to help students understand the reason why Collins would not be returning to school.
• NBC reports that local police officers are raising money so that Collins’ family will not have to pay for the costs of her funeral.
• Manchester Police Officer Jimmy Smith, the first on the scene, and his fellow officers have raised $3,000, and plan on raising enough to cover the entire cost of the funeral.

Injury Statistics

The information below is provided by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC):

In 2010, 4,280 pedestrians were killed in traffic crashes in the United States. 70,000 pedestrians were injured.

• There is one crash-related pedestrian death every 2 hours, and a pedestrian injury every 8 minutes.
• Pedestrians are 1.5 times more likely than passenger vehicle occupants to be killed in a car crash on each trip.
• Those most at risk are older adults, child, and those impaired by alcohol. Older adults account for 19% of all pedestrian deaths, and 11% of all pedestrian injuries in 2010. Nearly 1 in every 5 children between the ages of 5 and 9 killed in traffic crashes was a pedestrian.
• In traffic crashes that resulted in pedestrian deaths, 47% involved alcohol impairment in either the driver or the pedestrian.

Pedestrian Safety Tips

• Pedestrians should increase their visibility at night by carrying a flashlight when walking, and by wearing retro-reflective clothing.
• Pedestrians should cross the street at a designated crosswalk.
• It is much safer to walk on a sidewalk, but if pedestrians must walk in the street they should walk facing traffic.