Monday, July 20, 2015

More Pedestrian casualties: 2-year-old girl killed, 2 others injured after struck by mail truck in Elizabeth, New Jersey


Lucy Yang reporting live from Elizabeth, New Jersey.
A 2-year-old girl was killed and two other people hurt after being struck by a mail truck in Elizabeth, N.J., Monday morning.

The crash happened just after 10 a.m. near the intersection of Rahway Avenue & Dehart Place.

An eyewitness at the scene told reporter Lucy Yang that he believes both the people walking and the U.S. Postal Service truck had the the right of way. The people had a "walk" light and the mail truck had a green light to turn right. The grandmother was carrying the 2-year-old when she was struck by the postal truck. The collision caused the child to fly out of her hands and her to be pinned under the truck, the witness said. The postal worker then carried the baby to the grass.

The witness said he yelled at the postal worker to not touch the victims, but it was too late.

Investigators told Eyewitness News the girl was rushed to University Hospital in Newark, where she died a short time later.

The grandmother and a 4-year old were taken to Trinitas Hospital. There's no word yet on their conditions.

The driver remained at the scene.

George Flood, a spokesman for the USPS, released this statement Monday afternoon:
"Our thoughts and prayers go out to all involved in the tragic event today. The Postal Service is conducting a full investigation into this accident and is also working cooperatively with local officials at the scene."

Stay with Eyewitness News for the latest on this developing story.