Kaidan Coke: Louisiana boy, 7, fatally hit by truck while chasing ball in parking lot
RINGGOLD, LOUISIANA: A 7-year-old boy, Kaidan Coke, died after being tragically struck by a truck in a private parking lot on Saturday, February 24.
The accident prompted an immediate response from troopers of Louisiana State Police Troop G, who initiated an investigation into the single-vehicle fatality crash involving the young pedestrian.
What led to the tragic accident?
The incident occurred shortly after 11.30 am in the 1300 block of School Street, setting the stage for a thorough examination by authorities.
The preliminary findings indicated that Kaidan was playing with a ball within the confines of the private parking lot when the child lost control of the ball, which rolled underneath a backed-in 2011 Dodge Ram.
Unbeknown to the driver, the child had crawled underneath the truck to retrieve his ball, leading to the tragic collision as he tried to pull out of the parking space, according to KSLA.
Despite the prompt response by the Bienville Parish Coroner's Office, Kaidan was pronounced dead at the scene.
The driver of the 2011 Dodge Ram emerged unscathed from the incident, and while impairment wasn't suspected, routine toxicology samples were collected for further analysis.
Vermont man convicted for car crash that led to the deaths of his two daughters
In an unrelated incident, a Vermont resident, Jordan Couture, responsible for the tragic deaths of his two daughters in a car accident, broke down as the judge delivered a minimum three-year prison sentence.
The 39-year-old pleaded guilty to various charges, including negligent homicide, stemming from the collision that claimed the lives of his daughters, Kyriana, 10, and Kelsey, 7.
The fatal incident occurred in December 2021 on the I-93 in Littlejohn, New Hampshire, where Couture's speeding truck rolled over, ejecting his unbuckled daughters, who succumbed to their injuries at the scene, as reported earlier by MEAWW.
After the incident, Couture's license was suspended and his truck was unregistered. Investigators found that unprescribed drugs were present in the father's system when the accident took place.