IRVING, Texas — New details on Monday revealed an infant who fell out of a moving vehicle in Irving Sunday morning and was fatally struck by another car was not secured in a child safety seat, according to police.
Irving police said Sunday that the incident happened around 10:30 a.m. at the intersection of North MacArthur Boulevard and Ranchview Drive.
During a news conference Monday afternoon, Irving police spokesperson Robert Reeves said it appeared the 8-month-old child fell out of an open car door on the back-right passenger side. According to Reeves, the child's mother was driving and was making a left turn onto Ranchview Drive when the child fell out.
The 8-month-old was not secured in a child safety seat, Reeves said.
Reeves said a black sedan hit the 8-month-old but investigators believe that the driver may not have known the child was hit.
"We do not believe that there was any malice intent. We are not calling it a hit-and-run because we honestly don't think that the person that ran over the child knows that they ran over that child," Reeves said.
According to Reeves, there were three other children ages 6, 3 and 2 who were inside the vehicle at the time and that neither of them were secured in seat belts or safety seats. The spokesman pointed out that there were two safety seats in the car at the time.
Irving police have not yet specified what may have been going on inside the car that led to the door opening. Reeves said it's unclear if the door had only been partially closed.
Reeves said there have been no charges filed at this time as the investigation continues and the mother is interviewed by detectives. According to Reeves, any potential charges could include child endangerment.
"As an officer makes their career, throughout the years you see a lot of things that you should never have to see. Our officers that have young children, this definitely hits home with them," Reeves said. "Anybody that has children, this hits home."
A witness, Charlotte Jones Greer, described how she felt when she saw the incident.
"My heart just started pounding, it's a baby," Greer said about seeing the child. "... I froze. I couldn't even move."
She said a good Samaritan ran over and tried to save the child.
"The baby was laying across and he was just like us and that baby wasn't moving," Greer said.
Irving police are asking anyone who witnessed the incident to call 972-721-2761.