Child Riding Bike Hit By Van & Killed
LAUDERHILL (CBS4) - A tragic accident in Lauderhill left a 5-year-old child dead Friday afternoon.
The driver of a van hit the child, Joshua Richardson, as the child rode on his bike on NW 58 Terrace near NW 20 Street.
After the impact, the boy and his bike were dragged several feet down the street as the child was stuck underneath a tire.
The boy's mother, Jennifer Richardson, was beside herself with grief.
"You don't want to lose a child," Richardson said. "Joshua was my baby."
Lauderhill Police said the driver of the van, who was not identified, had just finished doing remodeling work on a home in the neighborhood and was driving away.
"He thought he hit a rock and saw someone waving over to him," Lauderhill Police Captain Rick Rocco said. "He got out and saw what was happening."
Someone called 911 and paramedics tried to save Joshua. They airlifted him to Broward General Medical Center, but the child did not survive.
Police said the van driver was devastated.
"He's holding it together; but he's obviously very concerned about the child's welfare," Captain Rocco said.
Investigators believe Joshua rode his bike into the street. They said charges do not seem likely against the van driver but they are still looking into the accident.
"At this point, I don't see anything that would lead us to charge anybody but it's still pretty early in the investigation," Captain Rocco said.
By nightfall, Richardson was surrounded by family members and friends as she tried to make sense of the tragedy. She remembered the outfit her son got dressed in on Friday morning.
"He had on all white," she said. "He's in heaven now. God received him. That's all we can do. We can't bring him back."
