A 7-year-old Idaho boy died after getting struck by a pickup truck on July 18, authorities said in an update this week.
The boy was riding his bicycle along West Amity Road in Boise when he was hit by an 18-year-old male driving the truck.
The impact threw the boy from his bike and into a fence near the road, reported KTVB.
The driver, who has not been identified, told authorities he swerved to avoid hitting something in the road just before striking the boy. The driver stopped his vehicle and ran over to the boy.
An ambulance rushed the victim to St. Luke’s Medical Center but he succumbed to his injuries late Friday.
The boy was named as Eduard Prokopchuk of Nampa by the Ada County Coroner’s Office.
The driver was not believed to be drunk or on other drugs when he struck the boy and, so far, he has not been charged in the crash.
Two other boys were riding with Eduard when he was hit, authorities said. Both were younger than 10.
Coroner Owens identified Eduard Prokopchuk, 7, Nampa, ID as the child who died July 19, 2019 @ St. Lukes RMC. Eduard was riding his bicycle July 18th in the 11000 block of W Amity in Boise when he was struck by a vehicle. The Ada County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the case.
— Ada County Coroner (@AdaCoroner) July 22, 2019
One suffered minor injuries but it was not clear whether he was hit by the truck, reported the Idaho Press. The third boy was not injured.
The case is still being probed, according to the coroner’s office.
It said that the Ada County Sheriff’s Office is investigating.
Fatal Car Crashes
According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, analyzing data from the Department of Transportation, there were 37,133 deaths from car accidents in 2017, the last year full data is available for. The deaths occurred across 34,247 fatal motor vehicle accidents. The number means 11.4 deaths per 100,000 people and 1.16 deaths per 100 million miles traveled, although those numbers can vary widely across states.
The highest deaths per 100,000 population were in Mississippi, which saw 23.1 such deaths, and the most deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled were in South Carolina, which saw 1.80 such deaths.
The majority of fatal accidents are single-vehicle crashes, the institute noted.
The Department of Transportation said in October 2018 that there were 37,133 deaths from motor vehicle crashes in 2017, a decrease of almost 2 percent from 2016. In comparison, there was an increase of about 6.5 percent from 2015 to 2016 and an increase of about 8 percent from 2014 to 2015. Pedestrian fatalities also declined by about 2 percent. While deaths in both categories declined, officials said more can be done.
“Dangerous actions such as speeding, distracted driving, and driving under the influence are still putting many Americans, their families and those they share the road with at risk,” said National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Deputy Administrator Heidi King in a statement. “Additionally, we must address the emerging trend of drug-impaired driving to ensure we are reducing traffic fatalities and keeping our roadways safe for the traveling public.”
A preliminary estimate of the first half of 2018 (pdf) showed that an estimated 17,120 people died in car crashes from January through June, which would be a decrease of about 3 percent from the previous year. The statistics indicate the fifth consecutive quarter in which traffic fatalities declined.
