ESCONDIDO (CBS 8) - A car hit and killed a toddler Tuesday afternoon as she played with her older sister near their Escondido home, police said.
The accident occurred shortly after 12:30 p.m., as a 33-year-old motorist was trying to park her vehicle in an alley off West Fourth Avenue and South Orange Street, according to police.
While the driver's attention was focused on one juvenile pedestrian off to her right, another ran into the path of the car from the opposite direction and was struck, Escondido Police Department Officer Tom Venable said.
Medics took the 2-year-old victim, to Palomar Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead.
The family asked for privacy, but a family member told CBS News 8 he wants to help his heartbroken family.
A GoFundMe page set up by Angel Cruz identified the two-years-old child as Kloe Cruz.
Neighborhood children - with the parental permission - told CBS News 8 they often played in the alley because everywhere else was too dangerous.
The involved motorist, who lives near the site of the accident, immediately reported what had happened and was fully cooperative with investigators. She was not immediately arrested or cited, though investigators were still seeking witnesses as of this evening, according to police.