death investigation

4-year-old girl killed by pickup near Boston Children's Museum ID'd, death ruled an accident

"My staff and I extend our deepest condolences to Gracie Gancheva's family, friends and loved ones," District Attorney Kevin Hayden said

NBC10 Boston

The 4-year-old girl killed by a pickup truck near Boston Children's Museum this weekend has been identified, and her death has been ruled an accident.

Her name was Gracie Gancheva, and her death remains under investigation, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office.

“It’s difficult to adequately express the scope of tragedy in losing someone so young. My staff and I extend our deepest condolences to Gracie Gancheva’s family, friends and loved ones,” District Attorney Kevin Hayden said in a statement.

According to the police report, the preliminary cause of death was blunt force injury and the manner of death has been determined to be an accident.

A family is mourning Monday morning after a 4-year-old girl was hit and killed by a vehicle. This all happened just steps away from a children's museum.

The incident occurred just after 5 p.m. Sunday at the intersection of Congress and Sleeper streets in the Seaport District, Boston police said.

Police say she was with family members when, for some reason, she ended up in the road. Moments later, she was hit by a vehicle. A police report identified the vehicle as a Ford F-150 pickup truck and said the girl was found unconscious on Sleeper Street.

She was immediately rushed to Massachusetts General Hospital, where she was pronounced dead at 5:51 p.m.

The driver, who hasn't been identified, remained on scene until officers arrived, according to police. No charges have been filed so far and no arrests were made.

Officials haven't said if the family had been at the Boston Children Museum on Sunday; a museum representative didn't know if that was the case. The museum closes at 4 p.m. on Sundays, over an hour before the deadly crash.

A 4-year-old girl was hit and killed by a vehicle Sunday, and some residents in Boston's Seaport District say change is needed.

The museum's president, Carole Charnow, said in a statement that there were already plans to address safety at the intersection where the girl was killed, but that the museum is hopeful that more can be done immediately.

"Boston Children’s Museum is devastated by this tragedy and our hearts go out to the family of the little girl. We know that there continue to be issues with this intersection of Congress Street and Sleeper Street that are related to speed and site lines. While we know that there are plans in the works to permanently address this issue, we hope that something can be done right away to ensure pedestrian safety," she said in the statement.

The museum was previously scheduled to be closed this week for upgrades to the facility.

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