Toddler dies when pickup strikes him in parking lot

An 18-month-old boy died Saturday after he was struck by a pickup in a north Spokane parking lot. The driver was arrested on suspicion of vehicular homicide.

The toddler was inside Custom Auto Tint, 3721 N. Division Ave., with his mother when he broke away from his mom and ran out of the building and in front of a pickup about 3:35 p.m., said Spokane police Sgt. Marc Wheelwright. The truck was driven by the business’s owner.

“He just made an errand and came back,” Wheelwright said. “He didn’t even know he had hit him.”

Spokane police Detective J. D. Anderson said tests by the Washington State Patrol indicated the driver may have been impaired. As a result, the driver was arrested on suspicion of vehicular homicide. He was released pending further tests and because he was not regarded as a flight risk, Anderson said.

The mom’s 5-year-old daughter remained in the car, and the boy may have been trying to go see her, Wheelwright said. The family is from Coulee Dam and was in town doing some shopping.

CPR was performed at the scene, Wheelwright said. The boy sustained head injuries and was taken to Sacred Heart Medical Center where he later died.

Police would not release the names of anyone involved.

Boy hurt at off-road vehicle park

A boy was critically injured Saturday evening in a motorcycle accident west of Spokane, authorities said.

Emergency crews were called to the Spokane Off-Road Vehicle Park, 12402 W. Sprague Ave., about 5:10 p.m. where a boy had been injured as riders were “finishing up the last ride of the day,” said Capt. Russ Ehr of Spokane County Fire District 10.

Fire officials declined to release the boy’s age.

The boy, who was wearing a helmet, was taken by helicopter to Sacred Heart Medical Center. Spokane County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Cpl. Dave Reagan said the boy’s injuries were critical.

Extreme Motorsports Productions was running a race at the park Saturday as part of its 2005 Fall Series, the company’s Web site said.

Members of the media were turned away at the gate, and further information was unavailable.

The park is owned by Spokane County and leased to the nonprofit group Spokane Motorsports Complex, said county parks director Doug Chase.

Last summer, a 17-year-old girl ranked seventh in the nation for her professional racing division was practicing at the park when she was critically injured in a motorcycle collision. The rider, Shiri Howell, was able to return to school after months of rehabilitative therapy.

That crash was the first serious accident at the track in 15 years, race organizers said last year.

Teenager hit by car on Division

A teenager was hospitalized in serious condition Saturday night after she was struck by a car while crossing Division Street, Spokane police reported.

The girl was with two other people when she was struck about 8:20 p.m. while walking east in an unmarked crosswalk on Division at the intersection of Sinto Avenue, said Detective J. D. Anderson.

She suffered head injuries that did not appear to be life-threatening, he said. The other people with the girl, who was about 16, were not hit.

Anderson said speed and alcohol did not appear to be factors, but the driver likely will be cited for failing to yield to a pedestrian.

Drivers of all lanes of traffic must stop for a pedestrian who has entered the middle of the first lane, Anderson said. The teen had successfully crossed three lanes before she was struck.

Reward offered for tip in shooting

A $500 reward is being offered for information that solves a shooting that left a 48-year-old man partially paralyzed.

The victim, whose name has not been released, was shot about 9:50 p.m. Sept. 23 in front of the North Hill Masonic Temple on Garland Avenue near Post Street.

The man was walking down the sidewalk with a cup of coffee in his hands when he was struck by a bullet that hit his spine, said Spokane County sheriff’s spokesman Cpl. Dave Reagan in a press release.

Officers believe that the victim has no connections to crime and was a random target or accidentally hit by someone target practicing, Reagan said.

Anyone with information about the shooting can call Secret Witness at 327-5111. Callers do not have to use their names to be eligible for the cash reward.