A 28-month-old toddler in a stroller was struck and killed in a crash involving two vehicles on 140th Ave N.E. and Bel-Red Road, police and fire officials reported on Sept. 29.
“It was obviously a very tragic scene,” said Bellevue Fire spokesperson Ryan Armstrong.
A 1999 Dodge Durango driven by a 29-year-old female Kirkland resident was reportedly heading south on 140th Ave. N.E. and collided with a northbound 2011 Nissan Sentra making a left turn, according to Armstrong. Police have determined that the likely cause of this crash was the driver of the Nissan failing to yield the right of way to all oncoming traffic when making the left turn.
The Nissan, which was being driven by a 43-year-old Bellevue resident, was pushed onto the sidewalk, striking the child and its 25-year-old mother.
Officers and medics responded to the scene at about 10:20 a.m. after receiving reports of a serious multi-vehicle crash, said Bellevue police spokesperson Seth Tyler. Lifesaving attempts were made by emergency personnel, however the child died at the scene. The child’s name has not been released at this time. The mother was uninjured, but reportedly taken for Overlake Hospital as a precautionary measure.
Both drivers were also transported to Overlake Hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Both are cooperating with the investigation.
The driver at fault consented to a blood draw, and drug or alcohol impairment is not suspected in this crash, police said.
Later in the day, a memorial wall was created with people leaving flowers, messages and stuffed animals.
Meghan Strum, of Bellevue, and her four-year-old daughter, Isabella, came by the wall around 6 p.m. so Isabella could tape a picture to the wall that she had drawn. It was the second trip that day to the corner for the two, who had been there at the exact spot just five minutes before the accident.
The investigation is ongoing.
Investigators have impounded the vehicles involved in the crash, and will be completing a forensic mechanical examination of them. Additionally, investigators will be downloading information from the vehicles’ onboard computers to attempt in an attempt to re-create the circumstances leading up to the crash.
The Bellevue city prosecutor will be making a decision on criminal charges, if any, that may be filed in this case within the next several days.
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
Above: A drawing by Isabella Strum, 4, that she placed on a memorial wall where a 28-month-old toddler was killed as a result of a traffic accident.
Craig Groshart, Bellevue Reporter
Left: Isabella Sturm, 4, tapes a drawing she made to a memorial wall at the corner where a 28-month-old toddler was killed when a two-car accident sent one of the vehicles over a curb and into her stroller. Isabella and her mother, Meghan, had been at the same corner only 5 minutes before the fatal accident.
Craig Groshart, Bellevue Reporter
