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Truck Hits, Kills 2-Year-Old In Manatee County

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By BART PFANKUCH

Sarasota Herald-Tribune

Published: October 14, 2008

BRADENTON - An Elmo doll, a Spider-Man blanket and a bouquet of fake flowers tied to a tree with fishing line are memorials to the brief life of 2-year-old Eduardo Betanzo-Reyes.

But a few feet away lies a pool of dried blood in a south Manatee County intersection and numerous blood spatters on the sidewalk that are reminders of the tragic way Eduardo died Sunday afternoon.

Authorities and neighbors say Eduardo was run over by a turning truck after he dashed into the street while pushing a small toy tractor he loved to play with.

The accident happened about 1:20 p.m. Sunday at a four-way stop at 12th Street East and 61st Avenue East.

The driver of the 2006 Nissan pickup that struck Eduardo, 55-year-old Robert Pinkston of Bradenton, pulled over immediately and called 911 after the accident, a neighbor said.

A Florida Highway Patrol report said alcohol did not appear to be a factor in the accident, and the driver has not been cited. The patrol's investigation is continuing.

The truck was turning right from 61st Avenue onto southbound 12th Street when the boy ran into the roadway while pushing the tractor, neighbors said.

Eduardo was flown to Bayfront Medical Center in St. Petersburg, where he was pronounced dead at 2:30 p.m., the patrol said.

Eduardo's family speaks only Spanish; his parents told neighbors they intend to take Eduardo's body back to their native Mexico for burial.

Just before the accident, the boy was being chased by his older sister, probably because the children were never supposed to be out of the home without parental supervision, said neighbor Christina Knaack, 20.

"They're a good family with great parents," Knaack said. "They're never left out alone."

The intersection is in a low-income neighborhood known as Pride Park. The area of short streets and numerous cul-de-sacs used to be known as Duplex City for the large number of affordable duplexes there.

Anissa Lawson, who rents half a duplex at 12th and 61st, said drivers routinely run the stop signs at the four-way.

"That stop sign might as well not even be there," said Lawson, 35. "Some people stop, but a lot roll through and some just blow through."

She said the streets have no shoulders and many residents park cars on their lawns.

Lawson said more than 10 drivers have gone into her ditch in the four months she has lived there, either because they rolled through the stop sign while turning or were looking for crack dealers or prostitutes while driving.

"It's rough because there's so many kids in this neighborhood," she said.

Manatee sheriff's spokesman Dave Bristow said Monday that if residents want more traffic enforcement in the neighborhood, they can call the agency's hot line at (941) 723-5197 and leave a message.

"Obviously, we can't be everywhere. But if people complain, we do respond," Bristow said.

Neighbors are trying to collect donations of food or money for Eduardo's family, but no one has chipped in so far, they said.

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