Boy, 2, Dead at Maple Grove Hospital after Vehicle Hit Him in Corcoran

A two-year-old boy was pronounced dead at Maple Grove Hospital Thursday after a vehicle struck him on Maple Hills Road in Corcoran, just west of Maple Grove. 

Here is the full text of the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office statement: 

"At approximately 6 p.m., the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of a child struck by a vehicle in the 7800 block of Maple Hills Rd., Corcoran. 

"Corcoran Police, Maple Grove Police, and the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene. 

"A child was struck by a vehicle in the street of a mobile home park, Maple Hills Estates.  Family members transported the child to Maple Grove Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

"The Sheriff’s Office is investigating."

KSTP-TV reported that family members drove the boy to the hospital instead of waiting for an ambulance: 

"Huggett said he wished the family had waited for an ambulance to arrive to start care immediately at the scene.

Police collected evidence at the home which is part of the Maple Hills Estate community on Maple Hills Road."

KARE 11 interviewed a family member: 

"The boy's family tells KARE 11 that the boy's aunt was driving the car that killed her nephew. ... The boy's uncle, Aldo Rodriguez says his family is devastated.

"'We can't believe it,' he said as his voice wavered."

Fox 9 spoke to people who live nearby: 

"Neighbors tell FOX 9 News the toddler was playing underneath a van and that family members thought the child had gotten out of the area before the driver of the van began to move."

The St. Paul Pioneer Press reported: 

"No one was in custody or was cited as of late Thursday, though the incident remained under investigation.

"Hennepin County sheriff's office spokeswoman Lisa Kiava said there was a language barrier between the family and investigators, who were trying to determine whether a relative had struck the boy, or whether it was someone else."

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