Two separate car accidents resulted in the deaths of two young children in North Texas over the last week, with the kids in both instances allegedly making their way out onto the road.
Last Sunday at around midnight, 7-year-old Zeina Haffanin was struck by two vehicles while walking eastbound on the service road of I-635 near Coit Road in Dallas.
She had reportedly slipped out of a hotel room at the nearby Marriott Residence Inn, where her family was staying while their apartment was being renovated. She was struck by one driver of an SUV, who allegedly did not stop or report the incident. She was struck again by another vehicle shortly after that. The second driver stopped and called authorities.
The first driver — believed to have been driving a 2007-2014 Cadillac Escalade with a missing right headlight — is being sought by Dallas police and faces potential charges over the alleged hit-and-run.
Texas penal code considers such a crime a second-degree felony when it involves the death of another person. Punishment upon conviction could include two to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.
The second incident occurred Wednesday late in the afternoon on a private drive close to New York Avenue and Mirabella Boulevard. A 3-year-old child reportedly ran into the road and was hit by a Dodge pickup truck. The driver attempted to render aid, and the child was taken to the hospital. However, the child did not survive.
No information about the child’s identity or the circumstances surrounding the incident has been released. Grand Prairie police confirmed the driver is not likely to face any criminal charges relating to this event.
As previously covered by The Dallas Express, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) has launched a series of campaigns to increase public awareness about driving safety to curb the rising road fatalities seen in the Lone Star State. Last year, 4,481 people died on Texas roads — averaging one death every 117 minutes.
Dallas County had the second-highest number of traffic fatalities in the state, logging a total of 355, according to TxDOT statistics.
Similarly, the North Central Texas Council of Governments published its annual safety performance report for 2022 in September, showing that automobile crash rates and fatalities spiked in some North Texas counties last year. As reported by The Dallas Express, Collin County reported an 11.63% bump year over year in accidents and an alarming 50.98% spike in fatalities. In contrast, Tarrant County noted a decrease in both metrics.
Impaired driving appeared third in the region’s top causes of serious collisions, with most alcohol-related incidents occurring between 10 p.m. and 3:59 a.m. Just under 50% happened on weekends. They also accounted for 29% of the total number of traffic fatalities in 2022.