AUBURNDALE, Fla. — A child was hit and killed by a truck Wednesday morning near U.S. 92 in Auburndale, police say.
It happened around 6:20 a.m. on Magnolia Avenue near Havendale Boulevard, according to Police Chief Andy Ray.
According to police, the 6-year-old girl was in the median of Havendale Boulevard where it intersects with Magnolia Avenue (US-92) and was hit by the right front bumper and headlight area of a Ford F-150 pickup truck.
The girl died immediately after being hit, according to emergency crews.
Police say the driver, later identified as a 36-year-old Lakeland man, was initially unaware he had hit someone and continued driving to the area of Lake Alfred where another driver alerted him that he had hit someone.
The agency says the truck driver immediately returned to the crash scene and has been "fully cooperative" with investigators. Police say they don't believe he was impaired at the time of the crash.
Investigators add it was still dark during the time of the crash, and the intersection was only lit by streetlights.
According to police, an officer immediately arrived on scene after the child was hit. As the investigation got underway, the girl's father arrived and was notified of his daughter's death.
Investigators say the 6-year-old was a student at Auburndale Central Elementary.
Ray says police are trying to determine why the girl was along the roadway. She was not heading to school, he added.
The chief says investigators are talking to witnesses and family and will provide more information as it becomes available.
Editor's note: Auburndale police originally said the girl was 8 years old but have since said the girl was 6.