ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – A boy pinned by a car that was backing up at a St. Augustine boat ramp on Thursday night has died, according to the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office.
Traffic homicide investigators responded to the Moultrie Creek Boat Ramp on Shore Drive along the Matanzas River about 9 p.m. Thursday. According to the Sheriff's Office, a 15-year-old driver was backing up on the boat ramp when he struck the 9-year-old.
Investigators said the driver did not see the child and hit him, pinning the boy between the car and the bulkhead piling.
The child was treated at the scene by St. Johns County Fire Rescue personnel before being transported to UF Health Jacksonville with traumatic injuries.
“It was obvious that something urgent was going on. There were a lot of vehicles, a lot of rescue, a lot of fire and police," said Phillip Cochran, who lives nearby. "They just all showed up at one time, and when that happens, it's usually something bad.”
Deputies said the boy died of his injuries about 12:45 p.m. Friday.
“Just broke my heart," resident Ted Weiland said.
Many people who live in the area said they are heartbroken over the boy's death.
“Life is just beginning. Parents shouldn’t even be having to deal with that," Cochran said. "All of that is just sad for everybody.”
Friends of the boy told News4Jax that they are going to miss him and it's not going to be the same without him.