Toddler killed when car hits kids in red wagon, 3 others critical
Five siblings walking along a South Jersey road were hit by a car Tuesday night around dusk, killing one of the siblings and seriously injuring three others.
New Jersey State Police say the older children were pulling the younger ones in a red wagon along the shoulder of Buddtown Road in Southampton when a BMW 528i driven by Thomas W. Xenakis Jr, 37, struck them. In video of the accident scene shown by 6ABC, the road appears to be very narrow with no marked shoulder or street lights.
Police say 2-year-old Jyonshiel Martinez died due to the crash. Three others are in critical condition, with one "extremely critical" according to 6ABC. The siblings are identified as Kahariel Martinez, 7, John Giles, 8 and Jairisia Galindo, 18. A fifth pedestrian, Mahya Martinez, was not injured.
"Besides the two kids lying on the side of the street, there was a girl lying in the middle of the street. The neighbor across the street was doing chest compressions on her," witness Paul O'Neill told 6ABC, which reports the driver was traveling at the speed limit.
Xenakis was reportedly co-operating with police.No charges have been filed in the case and their investigation is ongoing.