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Child hit and killed by garbage truck in Tooele

Posted at 1:34 PM, Jun 06, 2014
and last updated 2014-06-06 23:36:15-04

TOOELE, Utah — A 5-year-old boy was killed after being hit by a garbage truck in Tooele Friday, and police said the boy and his sister were riding their bikes alongside the truck when the accident occurred.

The boy’s family identified the boy as Giacomo Riley Kelly.

The incident occurred around 1:00 p.m. near 700 W McKellar St.

Captain Paul Wimmer of the Tooele Police Department said the 5-year-old and his sister were riding their bikes alongside the garbage truck. He said the children knew the driver of the truck and had ridden alongside the truck before.

"They wave to one another, so it appears that the children were out playing and it ended in tragedy," Wimmer said.

Because the children had ridden alongside before, the driver went to make a right turn and assumed the children would turn along with the truck. The girl did turn but the boy did not, and he was struck by the truck and run over by the wheels, Wimmer said.

The girl was not injured.

"Giacomo was a wonderful kid that just had a sweet heart; he loved to play with all the kids in the neighborhood and had lots of energy," said Brain Blatnick, whose daughter played with Giacomo in the neighborhood.

"We just have our prayers for him, and we're sad it's happened and we know he's in a better place and everything will be OK," Blatnick said.

When asked what Giacomo liked to do best, everyone had the same answer.

"He just loved to ride his bike, he would just cruise all around and enjoyed being with all the kids," Blatnick said.

Neighbor Nicole Howell has a five year old child herself. She said this is a wakeup call for all parents.

"I definitely keep an eye on her, at times I feel like I smother her but I just want to avoid things like this and it's unfortunate for this family that this had to happen and it's just sad they had to lose a child, especially so young," Howell said.

The garbage truck belongs to Ace Recycling and Disposal. It is the company contracted out by Tooele City to pick up garbage in the neighborhood. The driver has not been charged in the case at this time. Police said they are treating the case like a terrible accident at this time, but the investigation remains ongoing.