The three-year-old son of a city firefighter was fatally struck by a vehicle driven by another off-duty firefighter at a Sunday memorial event for slain firefighters in Wilmington, Delaware, The News Journal reported.
The accident occurred while members of the Wilmington Fire Department were gathering for the memorial walk. The child, whose identity has not been disclosed, was taken to Wilmington Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to The News Journal.
The off-duty firefighter who struck the child was attempting to park his vehicle before joining the event, and Wilmington Police are conducting an investigation into the incident, per the outlet.
The child fatally run over by an off-duty Wilmington firefighter Sunday was the son of another city firefighter. https://t.co/FA8EcXpyeN
— Delaware Online (@delawareonline) September 25, 2023
“I was profoundly saddened to learn of the devastating incident affecting our firefighting family yesterday morning, which resulted in the tragic death of the young son of a member of the Wilmington Fire Department,” Wilmington Mayor Mike Purzycki said, according to The News Journal. “There is, of course, no greater pain than that of a family dealing with the death of a child, and I join the entire city of Wilmington in extending my deepest condolences to the family as they grapple with this agonizing loss.” (RELATED: Family Of Firefighters Lose One Of Their Own In Blaze That Killed Another, Injured 8 Other Firefighters)
The memorial walk was organized to commemorate the seventh anniversary of a house fire in Canby Park, which resulted in the deaths of three Wilmington firefighters, the outlet reported.