87 year old driver kills woman pushing 4-year-old child in pram

 

BERLIN – An 83-year-old driver slammed into a woman pushing her child in a pram in downtown Berlin, killing the woman, seriously injuring the child and sending her partner and sister to hospital in shock.

The woman, 41, and the child, 4, had to be resuscitated at the scene and the woman once more in the ambulance on the way to hospital, where she died, police told dpa. The child had to undergo emergency surgery.

The exact circumstances of the accident are unclear and are under investigation, a police spokeswoman said.

The party of four were tourists in Berlin, the police said. The accident occurred near a construction site close to Potsdamer Platz, a major thoroughfare and home to a popular mall.

The elderly driver was also seriously injured, according to the Berlin fire brigade. He was taken to hospital but released after outpatient treatment and a blood sample was taken, according to the police spokeswoman.

Following the accident, another car crashed into a vehicle at the scene. According to the fire brigade, the driver of the car also suffered serious injuries and was hospitalized.

A number of witnesses and first responders, some of whom were in shock, had to be assisted by the emergency services, including an emergency counsellor. According to the fire brigade, a total of 48 firefighters were deployed.

It is unclear how the two car crashes are connected but investigators consider the accident a single incident, the police spokeswoman said.