Police say a 3-year-old child who was left behind in a pickup truck got behind the wheel and struck a 2-year-old girl, killing her.
Just before 4 p.m. on Saturday, Sandro Sanchez and his only daughter, Airani Sanchez Martinez, were sitting alone at a table at their family-run taco stand in the Sacramento suburb of Woodland when a Dodge pickup truck pulled up. He said there was a collision.
“Suddenly, all I hear is screaming” Sanchez he told CBS Sacramento. “I ran, opened the truck door, pulled the brakes and thought I could stop it, but it was too late.”
The whole harrowing episode happened “in less than a minute,” the father recalled. “Everything happened and she was gone.”
Ailani, who looked like an angel, was taken to a local hospital where she later succumbed to her injuries.her parents told KCRA She was supposed to turn 3 next month. They are now planning her funeral instead of a birthday party.
Investigators said they believe the owner of the truck left the gas pump running and then entered the gas station store. Press release from the Woodland Police Department.
The owner’s 3-year-old child was left strapped to the back seat of the car.
“meanwhile [the father was ] “While inside the store, the 3-year-old got out of the car seat and got into the driver’s seat,” police said. “The truck began to move forward and struck a 2-year-old child who was near a taco stand at the edge of the property.”
Police said everyone involved in the tragedy is cooperating with police and so far no one has been arrested or charged.
Sitting in front of a hastily erected memorial at the scene of the crash, holding a framed photo of her daughter, Sanchez argued that leaving a toddler in a car with the engine running shouldn’t be considered an accident.
“I want justice for my little girl because they just released a boy,” he said.
Police promised to “ensure a thorough investigation” into the toddler’s death, including taking statements, analyzing evidence and reviewing surveillance cameras.
The results of the completed investigation will be sent to the Yolo County District Attorney’s Office, which will decide whether to file criminal charges against the truck owner.
Airani’s family says the child is just beginning to speak.
“She was always happy, loved to dance and brought joy to her family,” said her mother, Rosa Martinez.
The 2-year-old girl has her parents and two older brothers, ages 6 and 7.
