Boy, 7, dies after being ‘hit by Christmas parade float driven by his own dad’
A SEVEN-year-old boy has died after allegedly being hit by a Christmas float driven by his own dad during a parade.
Rowan Frensley fell from the float as the truck drove into a parking lot on Saturday afternoon towards the end of the parade at Mt. Julien Middle School in Tennessee, police told .
The driver was allegedly traveling "at a low rate of speed" though the parking lot and was preparing to unload passengers from a trailer after the parade, according to a report by the Tennessee Highway Patrol.
That's when the trailer's tires apparently hit Rowan, causing critical injuries including head trauma, the report said.
An investigation was opened by the Tennessee Highway Patrol due to the severity of the seven-year-old's injuries.
Paramedics rushed Rowan, who was a student at W.A. Wright Elementary, to a nearby hospital, where investigators said he died on Saturday night.
WTVN and initially reported that a witness allegedly saw his father driving the truck and it appeared the boy was sucked underneath and mowed over when the vehicle backed up.
Captain Tyler Chandler of the Mt. Julien Police department confirmed Rowan's father was behind the wheel to Sun Online on Monday.
In a statement released Saturday, Rowan's family thanked the community for their support and first responders for aiding their "sweet beautiful boy."
“The family of Rowan Frensley wants to say thank you for the outpouring of love, support and prayers that we have received and are continuing to receive from everyone during this incredibly difficult time," the statement reads.
"We want to thank all of the individuals that were first on the scene yesterday to render aid to Rowan as well as the first responders, nurses, doctors and the entire team of care providers at VUMC who cared for him and loved on him in his final moments.
"We ask that everyone continue to pray for peace that surpasses all understanding for the family and those that loved the sweet beautiful boy that was Rowan Frensley.”
Members of the community rallied together in a show of support for the Frensley family at a candlelight vigil held Sunday afternoon at Mt. Julien Middle School.
Fundraisers for the family were established on and over the weekend.
So far, $62,215 has been raised on Facebook, more than six times the original $10,000 goal, and $9,400 has been raised on GoFundMe since the page was created just a day ago.
A five-year-old boy was also tragically killed in a similar accident last week in South Carolina.
Ameer Frazier was reportedly hit by a float after a Christmas parade in the parking lot of the Red Ceder Elementary school in Bluffton.
Like Rowan, little Ameer was not enrolled as a student at the school where the annual parade took place.
The boy's death is under investigation, and no charges were filed at the time of the accident, cops said.