GAINESVILLE, Ga. — A 22-month-old boy has died after a car jumped a curb and hit him and his father outside a Gainesville shopping center Wednesday, police said.
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The Gainesville Police Department identified the child as Knox Skelton.
Knox was being carried by his father, Samuel Skelton, an off-duty Gainesville firefighter, as they walked toward Publix at Limestone Marketplace.
Police said the driver, 68-year-old Teresa Parker, was trying to park a 2024 Ford Edge in a handicap space when she accidentally accelerated over the curb, hitting Samuel and Knox.
People nearby immediately rushed to help. Bystanders performed CPR on Knox before paramedics arrived.
Knox was flown to a children’s hospital in Atlanta, but he later died from his injuries, police said.
Samuel was also hit but did not need medical treatment.
The crash also damaged the nearby Big Peach Running Co. The business said it would remain closed while the damage is assessed.
Gainesville police are continuing to investigate what led to the crash.
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