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Child, 6, dies after falling out of back seat of car leaving Brandon Starbucks

 
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Published June 15, 2019

BRANDON — A 6-year-old child died Friday after falling out of a vehicle leaving a Starbucks, deputies said.

The child was in the back seat of the vehicle about 7:15 p.m. as the driver pulled out of the parking lot of the Starbucks at 11029 Causeway Blvd., according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office. As the driver turned right at low speed to head south on Providence Lakes Boulevard, the child opened the rear passenger door, fell out and was run over the by the rear passenger tire, deputies said.

The driver, who is a family member of the child's, later told detectives he did not realize the child had been run over.

The driver got out to check on the child, found the child alert and without any apparent wounds, the driver told detectives, so he placed the child back in the vehicle and continued driving, the Sheriff's Office said. When the driver realized the child had lost consciousness, he called 911 and pulled over at Grand Isle Drive and Gornto Lake Road.

The child was unresponsive when paramedics arrived and was later pronounced dead at Brandon Regional Hospital.

Investigators do not suspect impairment or foul play were factors in the death but the incident was still under investigation Saturday. The Sheriff's Office did not release additional information, citing the office's interpretation of Marsy's Law — a state constitutional amendment designed to protect the rights of crime victims.

Contact Tony Marrero at tmarrero@tampabay.com or (813) 226-3374. Follow @tmarrerotimes