‘Freak accident’: Memorial grows for toddler hit, killed by car in Maiden

MAIDEN, N.C. — A toddler was hit and killed by car in Catawba County over the weekend, according to the North Carolina State Highway Patrol.

On Monday, a small memorial for the 2-year-old boy sat along Buffalo Shoals Road in Maiden. Troopers said he was in the roadway when he was hit around 7:30 p.m. Saturday.

An off-duty deputy was in the area at the time and tried to help him, but after the boy was taken to a hospital in Charlotte, he died of his injuries.

Investigators said the driver of the car that hit him was not injured and will not face charges. Channel 9′s Dave Faherty spoke with the daughter of the woman who hit him.

“She is heartbroken. Her heart is in a million pieces,” Alicia Hinson said. “I’ve tried to assure her that this was not her fault. And nothing that she could have done would have saved that baby.”

Hinson said she rushed to the crash scene after her mother called her Saturday evening saying she had struck the child not far from her home.

Faherty saw the memorial that had been left in that spot Monday. People left flowers and balloons in remembrance of the boy.

“To show the community that we care. We care about this baby and the least we can do is show the baby some respect,” Hinson said.

Sheriff’s investigators are still looking into how the toddler ended up in the road, but deputies say they were called to the same location last summer. They said when they arrived, the toddler was back in the home and the caller had left the area.

Investigators went door to door Monday morning interviewing people about what happened over the weekend.

“It was an accident. A freak accident,” Jessica Cudd said.

Cudd lives right next door to the family and said her son often played with the 2-year-old. She said his parents were putting groceries away when the child ran off and they began looking near her home.

“They thought he went around here so they were looking. They didn’t think he would go to the road. It’s dark,” she said. “And I know they didn’t do it on purpose. They were looking for him and it’s not their fault.”

Cudd said after what happened last summer, the family put in safety locks inside their home.

The sheriff’s office said no charges have been filed in the case. They said they will consult with the Catawba County District Attorney’s Office once they finish their investigation.

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