Child dies after Christmas parade accident in Mt. Juliet

MT. JULIET, Tenn. (WKRN) — News 2 has confirmed the child injured in an accident at a Christmas parade in Mt. Juliet has succumbed to his injuries
Saturday night.

The Tennessee Highway Patrol said the seven-year-old boy was on a parade trailer when he fell and was struck by the tires.

Officers with the Mt. Juliet Police Department were alerted around 12:20 p.m. to an injured child in the back parking lot of Mt. Juliet Middle School.

Units are on-scene and handling a crash, behind MJ Middle School, involving a child pedestrian who was struck by a trailer as it was towed through the parking lot after completing the Christmas Parade. With any serious injury crash in our city, @THPNashville is investigating.

— Mt. Juliet Police (@MtJulietPolice) December 14, 2019

Due to the severity of the child’s injuries, Tennessee Highway Patrol responded to investigate.

A crash report released by Highway Patrol indicates the driver was traveling at a “low rate of speed” through the parking lot and was preparing to unload passengers from a trailer after the parade. A child riding on the trailer fell off and was struck by the tires, the report states.

The child was transported to Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital with critical injuries, investigators explained.

A witness close to the family said the seven-year-old boy’s father was driving. When the father backed up, he said it appeared the child was sucked underneath and run over.

The investigation is ongoing.