On Friday evening, a sheriff’s patrol car cruising slowly along Birch Street in Carpinteria struck a child who had darted into the street from between two parked cars. The car had been moving at about 10 mph, was stopped immediately, and the deputies took the 5-year-old to the curbside and provided first aid. She went with a family member to the hospital, and her condition was thought to be non-life-threatening, said Sheriff’s spokesperson Kelly Hoover. California Highway Patrol is investigating the incident.
[UPDATE] At the conclusion of its investigation, CHP released a statement that the child ran into the street for no apparent reason and had been playing with friends before that. The cruiser was going slowly and braked immediately, and the child suffered a small cut to her forehead from falling to the ground when hit.