BOSTON, MA — Boston Police are asking for the public's help in collecting any video or photos taken just before, during or right after a van and a Prius collided in Southie, sending one of the cars up onto a sidewalk, and fatally hitting a 2-year-old boy Wednesday. At about 3:38 p.m. on Thursday July 25, South Boston Police officers responded to a call for a motor vehicle accident in the area of L Street and East Sixth Street. During the incident, two young children were struck and seriously injured. One of the children, Colin Thomas McGrath, 2, was later pronounced deceased while the second child is still hospitalized. The Boston Police Department is asking for help from anyone who was in the area at the time of this incident. Specifically, detectives are looking for any witness photos or cell phone video taken before, during and, or after the collision that may assist with the investigation.<doc-sep>Crime & Safety 2-Year-Old Killed By Car In South Boston The child was hit by a car while a woman was pushing two small children in a stroller across the street in Southie. Reply BOSTON, MA — A 2-year-old boy was killed in South Boston while a nanny was pushing a stroller with two toddlers on a sidewalk. A 4-year-old was hurt but is now expected to survive, according to Police. Police said someone called them at 3:13 p.m. to report the crash at L Street and E 6th St in Southie. A green van and a Prius crashed, causing one of the cars to go up on the sidewalk and hit a fence and a stroller there, where two little ones were, according to police. The 2-year-old, identified as Colin Thomas McGrath, died and the 4-year-old was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. The woman pushing the stroller did not have any injuries, according to police. >> UPDATE: Crash That Killed A 2 Year Old In Southie: Police Asking For Help Outgoing Police Commissioner Bill Evans incoming Commissioner William Gross and Boston Mayor Marty Walsh were on the scene Wednesday evening. "It's a real tragedy," Evans told reporters. Wednesday was street cleaning on the east side of L St. which allowed the green van to jump the curb and strike the children, where cars would have blocked them on any other day.<doc-sep>Former Boston mayor Raymond L. Flynn, a lifelong resident of the neighborhood, said he regularly confronts the intersection with his grandson, who has special needs and uses a customized stroller. Since 2016, there have been 15 motor vehicle crashes on or near L and Sixth streets, the site of Wednesday’s fatal accident, according to Boston police. A day after a 3-year-old boy was killed when a van crashed onto the sidewalk in South Boston, distraught residents called for new safety measures at the busy intersection, often used as a shortcut to avoid highway traffic. “I’m almost 80 years old. Walking across the street with a baby carriage, holding a cane. People won’t stop for you,’’ Flynn said. Advertisement State Senator Nick Collins, in a post on Twitter, said he would not “rest until we have safer streets in our neighborhoods.” “My colleagues and I have been calling on transportation officials to stop cut-throughs and slow traffic,” he wrote. “Inaction is unacceptable.” The fatal crash happened Wednesday afternoon when a van and small sedan collided, apparently sending the van onto the sidewalk, where a nanny was pushing the toddler in a stroller. The boy’s 4-year-old sister sustained injuries that were not life-threatening. The nanny was not injured. Authorities have not publicly identified the children or the drivers involved in the crash. Police said neither driver showed signs of impairment. Both stayed at the scene and cooperated with investigators. Police Commissioner William B. Evans said Thursday that “speed does not appear to be a factor’’ in the crash. Authorities asked for the public’s help in the investigation, appealing to anyone who might have taken photos or video before, during, or after the collision. A driver who said he witnessed the crash said he had stopped at the intersection and waved another driver through. As that driver eased into the intersection, a van traveling north on L Street, toward East Broadway, crashed into the car, he said. Advertisement “I thought it was going to slow down, but it didn’t,” said the man, who asked not to be identified. “Next thing you know, it rams into her car.” Witnesses tried to perform CPR on the unconscious boy, he said, as the woman pushing the stroller screamed in horror. A man held the injured girl. The driver said he wished the van would have struck his car instead. “That way the kids wouldn’t have gotten hit,” he said. Joe Nascarella prayed and paid respects at the memorial in South Boston. Pat Greenhouse/Globe Staff At the crash site Thursday, mourners left flowers and stuffed animals as a memorial to the boy. “It’s affecting everybody in the community,” said Danielle Lake, who brought her 2-year-old son in a stroller to lay flowers at the site. “Parents and caregivers are out here all the time, walking with our kids. It’s just scary.” US Representative Stephen F. Lynch, a South Boston native who represents the neighborhood, called the fatal crash “heartbreaking,” and said the neighborhood plans to hold meetings on ways to make the intersection, and others like it, safer. “These cars that are approaching the main drag here, it’s very difficult to see,” he said. “They have to come out partway into the intersection before they can see.” Mayor Martin J. Walsh said city officials will be looking into potential safety improvements on the road, but said his immediate concern is supporting the toddler’s grieving relatives. Advertisement “I ask everyone to please keep them in your prayers, keep them in your thoughts,” Walsh said. “This is going to be . . . the most difficult time in their life that they’ll have to ever experience, and I wish I could take their pain away.” City transportation officials said they have been discussing safety measures, such as parking restrictions and radar speed boards. Officials will also be evaluating street lighting and taking traffic counts on L Street in the coming days. “Safe streets have always been and will continue to be BTD’s first priority,’’ said Boston Transportation Commissioner Gina Fiandaca. “Our staff has been on site at L and East 6th streets and has determined all existing traffic safety equipment to be in good condition.” Fiandaca said there were no cars parked on that section of L Street Wednesday because of street cleaning. That removed a barrier between the sidewalk and the road, she noted. Nine pedestrians, including the toddler in South Boston, have been struck and killed in Boston this year, according to WalkBoston, a pedestrian advocacy group that uses news reports to track such crashes. Wendy Landman, the group’s executive director, said people pushing strollers are “certainly are one of the groups we think about when we think of sidewalk accessibility.” Flynn said drivers cutting down L Street should stay on the highway or take public transportation. “This is not an unsolvable problem, but it takes aggressive enforcement,” Flynn said. “This could be the catalyst for some change. When I say change, I mean getting back to the way it was, and it’s all about quality of neighborhoods. Respect for people who live in the neighborhood. It’s not about accommodating motorists.” Advertisement<doc-sep>
One child is dead and another was hurt after a pedestrian accident involving a car in South Boston. Police said they responded to L and East 6th streets Wednesday afternoon for a report of a pedestrian being struck by a motor vehicle. Officers said a van collided with a car, sending the car careening onto the sidewalk and into multiple pedestrians. Boston Police Commissioner William Evans said one of the children, a 3-year-old boy, died of his injuries. Evans said the boy's 4-year-old sister was also injured and taken to the hospital. Police said she is expected to be OK. Police said the two children were in a stroller being pushed by a woman who neighbors say was their nanny when they were hit. One witness said they heard a loud bang and went to see what happened. "We did see a baby carriage," Susan Devlin said. "Somebody took the baby out and were giving CPR. They laid him on the sidewalk. It was a scary sight." The drivers involved in the crash stayed on scene. Police are working to determine which driver was at fault. One child is dead and another was hurt after a pedestrian accident involving a car in South Boston. Police said they responded to L and East 6th streets Wednesday afternoon for a report of a pedestrian being struck by a motor vehicle. Officers said a van collided with a car, sending the car careening onto the sidewalk and into multiple pedestrians. Boston Police Commissioner William Evans said one of the children, a 3-year-old boy, died of his injuries. Evans said the boy's 4-year-old sister was also injured and taken to the hospital. Police said she is expected to be OK. Police said the two children were in a stroller being pushed by a woman who neighbors say was their nanny when they were hit. One witness said they heard a loud bang and went to see what happened. "We did see a baby carriage," Susan Devlin said. "Somebody took the baby out and were giving CPR. They laid him on the sidewalk. It was a scary sight." The drivers involved in the crash stayed on scene. Police are working to determine which driver was at fault.