Uber driver hits and kills a toddler after dropping her family at their Houston home

Still from surveillance camera shows the moment before an Uber driver ran over a toddler he had just dropped off. Photo / Click2Houston

A 1-year-old US girl died after being hit by an Uber driver who had just dropped her family at their apartment complex in Houston, Texas, and apparently didn’t see her in front of his car as he pulled away, authorities said.

Harris County Sheriff’s officials said the girl’s family members then pulled the driver from his vehicle and assaulted him after the incident on Sunday.

“It’s just an unfortunate tragedy at this point,” said Lieutenant K Benoit of the Harris County Sheriff’s Office.

The driver thought his path was clear after dropping the girl and her family off, but as he drove forward he hit the girl and dragged her, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said.

Surveillance video shows the girl walking alone in front of the car just before she was hit.

A still from surveillance camera shows the moment before an Uber driver ran over a toddler he had just dropped off. Photo / Click2Houston

Neighbour Simya Washington, whose security camera captured incident, told Click2Houston: “I just heard a lot of commotion outside, and I just came outside, and I just seen, like, blood and a baby laying on the ground.

“It was just so traumatic, because I was just thinking about my baby, you know, my son or anybody else’s kids it was just so, I couldn’t do, I couldn’t even,” Washington added.

“We as parents, relatives, custodians of children, we have to just be a lot more alert, hold their hands, guide them to a safe place and then watch the driver pull away,” Benoit said.

Gonzalez said the driver was taken to a hospital and treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

“He’s in serious condition. You know, non-life threatening, but serious,” Benoit added.

No charges have been filed and the case remains under investigation, authorities said.

“At this time, no charges have been filed,” Benoit said. “But however, it is still under investigation. There could be charges a couple of different ways.”

- Additional reporting, NZ Herald