Toddler dies after being hit by SUV in West Philadelphia

WEST PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- A toddler has died after being hit by an SUV in West Philadelphia.

It happened around 6:45 p.m. Sunday in the 4800 block of Merion Avenue.

The boy was identified by family members as Ameen. He was one month shy of turning two years old.

Ameen was at the home with his mother, visiting for a family dinner. He was outside playing with cousins when, police say, he ran out into the street from in between parked cars.

That's when he was struck by a white Chevy Trailblazer.

"When I got outside I saw my little cousin under the left back wheel," said Jaime Morris.

The driver stopped and got out of the car.

"She looked and she started screaming, she started jumping. She was really shaken," said cousin Kryshonna Morris.

The boy was rushed to the hospital but was pronounced dead a short time later.

Neighbor Kassandra Pollard says this road is a popular shortcut for impatient motorists, but children too often pay the price.

Surveillance video shows a 9-year-old getting hit by a speeding car in 2012. That girl walked away but the driver took off.

And that's not all.

"We had one child hit so badly he broke both his legs. Flipped up in the air. It's constant," said neighbor Kassandra Pollard.

As police investigate this crash, officials say it appears to be a tragic accident.

It's no less frightening for Pollard, who is keeping an extra close eye on her 2-year-old nephew.

"I stay his shadow. I'm his shadow all the time," she said.

Police say the driver is cooperating with authorities, adding it's too early in the investigation to determine whether she'll face any charges.