A 7-year-old boy died following a traffic incident that occurred Thursday morning (Feb. 15) at a Covington area shopping center.
Shortly after 10:30 a.m. St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to The Shoppes Nord du Lac shopping center on Highway 21 near Covington in reference to a child being struck by a motorist.
When they arrived on scene, deputies discovered a 7-year-old boy had been struck by a pick-up truck in the back northeast corner of the parking lot.
The child was transported via ambulance to an area hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.
Circumstances surrounding the incident are still under investigation at this time.
As is standard protocol involving traffic fatalities, a standardized field sobriety test was administered and the driver, 32-year-old Nathaniel Fornea of Madisonville, voluntarily submitted to a blood alcohol screening. Impairment is not suspected, and no citations have been issued at this time.
The identity of the child is not being released due to his age.