3-year-old was behind wheel of truck that fatally struck girl, 2, at gas station

WOODLAND, Calif. — A 3-year-old child was behind the wheel of a truck that fatally struck a 2-year-old girl at a California gas station on Saturday, authorities said.

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According to a news release from the Woodland Police Department, the 3-year-old was left alone inside the truck at a gas station and store in Woodland at about 3:46 PDT on Saturday. Police said the truck was left running while its owner went inside the store, and the toddler managed to get out of their car seat and climbed into the driver’s seat.

The truck began moving forward and struck the 2-year-old, who was near her parents’ taco stand in the lot by the gas station, KCRA-TV reported.

“I heard a scream and ran because I saw it going toward my daughter, but it was too late,” the girl’s father, Sandro Sanchez, told NBC News.

The child was taken to an area hospital, where she died from her injuries, according to the news outlet.

The child was identified by her parents as Ailahni Sanchez Martinez, KCRA reported. Sanchez and the girl’s mother, Rosa Martinez, told the television station that the girl was a month shy of her third birthday.

“She was always happy, she loved to dance and brought joy to the family,” Martinez told KCRA.

“Everyone involved has cooperated in this investigation,” Woodland police said in their news release, which was posted on Facebook. “An arrest has not been made. We are working to ensure a thorough investigation is completed.”

The victim’s father told KCRA that her daughter’s death was “not right.”

“We want justice,” he told the television station. “I lost my daughter because of someone else.”

Michael Vitiello, a law professor at the University of the Pacific, called Saturday’s incident “a freakish accident.”

“We don’t put people in prison for freakish accidents. Yes, there’s real harm, but that’s why the tort system compensates innocent victims,” Vitiello told KCRA. “Putting someone in prison does not help the family who has lost a child.”

An investigation is ongoing, police said. When it is completed, the case will be forwarded to the Yolo County District Attorney’s Office for review.

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