‘A nightmare.’ Toddler killed after driver careens into stroller, California cops say

An 18-month-old boy died Sunday after a collision sent one vehicle careening onto a sidewalk into his stroller, California police said.

“I feel like this is a nightmare,” Ana Morales, the boy’s mother, told KNBC.

Her son, Sebastien Chavez, was being watched by his grandparents Sunday morning at their tamale stand in North Hills near Los Angeles, when two vehicles collided, KABC reported.

A Toyota hit a Honda, which careened onto the sidewalk and pinned Sebastien’s stroller against a brick wall at 7:35 a.m., KTLA reported. A woman at the food stand also was hit.

“I don’t know exactly what happened because I just hear the noise of the two cars crash,” Alfredo Morales, the child’s grandfather, told KABC. “And one of them came directly to the baby.”

The driver of the Honda remained at the scene, but the other driver fled before later contacting police, KTLA reported. The driver is now cooperating in the investigation, officers said.

The toddler later died of his injuries at the hospital, KCBS reported. The woman who was hit also was hospitalized.

“I watched him fight for his life when he was just born, and it’s crazy that an accident like this has taken him from me,” Ana Morales told KTLA, noting her son was born prematurely.

“He was always smiling,” she told KNBC. “Always dancing. He loved to dance. Anywhere he went everyone smiled at him. He was very loved by everyone.”

This story was originally published October 18, 2021 at 8:23 AM with the headline "‘A nightmare.’ Toddler killed after driver careens into stroller, California cops say."