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2nd August 2023
11:59am BST
A five-year-old boy in Australia has died after he was hit by a 77-year-old driver in a Jeep.
Alfie Darby was watching his older brother play in a rugby match at Dural Rugby Club on Sunday afternoon with his family.
But when he wandered off, was struck by a Jeep Cherokee at about 1:30pm on Anzac Ave in Collaroy in Sydney's Northern Beaches.
Bystanders performed CPR on the boy, with one grabbing a defibrillator from a car. When paramedics arrived, he was then taken to Sydney Children's Hospital with critical injuries, but died at around 6pm the same day.
The driver, a 77-year-old man, was uninjured in the incident and underwent mandatory testing at hospital.
Police have said that their initial investigations suggest the incident was nothing more than a tragic accident, 7NEWS reports.
At the time of writing, no charges have been made.
In a statement Dural Rugby Club said the club's "thoughts and prayers are with the family at this time.”
"Dural Rugby Club sends all our love, thoughts and prayers to the Darby family after the tragic passing of their son Alfie yesterday, who was always a smiling face when playing in our u6's and around the club," the club said.
Witness Susie Belenzuela said the crash was “any parent’s worst nightmare”.
“My heart goes out to that family,” she told 7NEWS.
Other locals have called for improved safety upgrades to the road following the tragedy.
Peter Carson, a witness who has lived in the area for more than 30 years, said: “I’ve thought on many occasions someone’s going to run out after a ball or something and have a dreadful accident.
“Possible some mitigating devices, something could be used, fences or speed bumps, something like that to make it a little more safe.”
A GoFundMe page has so far raised $42,590 for Alfie's family, who are described as "gracious, kind and always welcoming."
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