Sep. 4—TRAVERSE CITY — Police are investigating the death of an 8-year-old boy who was struck and killed in King’s Court Mobile Home Park Tuesday morning.
The child was struck at 7:24 a.m. by a vehicle driven by a 63-year-old Traverse City man on Charles Place near the intersection of Ray Boulevard in the Garfield Township park, according to the Grand Traverse County Sheriff’s Office.
The boy died at Munson Medical Center after life-saving procedures were attempted at the crash site by the driver and law enforcement, the police reported.
In the initial investigation, the Sheriff’s Office Accident Investigation Team and a Michigan State Police accident investigator determined that speed, alcohol and drugs were not factors.
In addition to stop signs, speed bumps are utilized on many of the roads in the mobile home park to slow drivers down. However, the shorter roads running north-south, such as Charles Place, in the section of the park where the crash occurred, do not have speed bumps.
The accident investigation team, state police and the sheriff’s office detective bureau are still investigating the cause of the crash.
It was the first day of school for many children in the region. The police statement did not say what school the boy attended, or whether he had been waiting at a bus stop at the time, but Traverse City Area Public Schools sent an email to Traverse Heights Elementary families to address the tragedy.
“It is with a heavy heart that I share the tragic death of a Traverse Heights student this morning,” wrote Traverse Heights Elementary School Principal Bryan Kay. “Our hearts are broken.”
School officials encourage Traverse Heights families to reach out if they are in need of emotional assistance during this time of loss.
“This can be extremely difficult news to process,” Kay said in the email. “People experience a variety of emotions and behaviors, including loss of appetite, sleep disturbance, physical complaints, such as headaches or stomach aches, bad dreams, restlessness, difficulty in concentrating, mood swings, irritability and hostile or rebellious behaviors.”
Mental health professionals will be at the school for the next several days to help students and staff process their grief.
Kathryn DePauw reports in partnership with Report for America.
Source Agencies
