14 DAY TRIAL // A toddler from Maryland has incurred fatal wounds after being crushed by a garage door.
Authorities say that the girl was playing with the remote controller, opening and shutting the garage door when it came crashing down on her.
WTOP detailed that the horrific incident occurred in Waldorf, Charles County, 30 miles (48 km) from Washington, D.C. on Friday, April 5.
Initial reports mentioned the accident victim being 5 years old, but the latest records listed her as a 3-year-old.
Charles County Sheriff's authorities told WUSA 9 that the girl was not left alone at the 2928 Eutaw Forest Drive residence.
Her mother was inside the home, while the girl was playing outside the house. The identity of the victim has not been revealed at this point.
She was found after 4:00 P.M., when emergency services were dispatched and she was immediately taken to a local clinic. Unfortunately, her injuries were severe and she was pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital.
Charles County Sheriff's spokesperson Diane Richardson adds that the cause of death is most likely asphyxiation.
“The door came down and pinned her and ended up asphyxiating her,” Richardson says.
While the automatic door was equipped with a sensor that would have prevented this type of situation, it did not stop it from falling onto the child at that time.
When emergency responders arrived at the scene, they found her pinned under the massive door, presumably after having tried to crawl underneath it. Investigators suspect that her height prevented the activation of the sensor.
“We're testing them now to see if there may have been any malfunctions,” Richardson adds.
“It's awful, it's terrible that something like that could happen. [...]That should never have happened. It was a total accident […] It's just terrible,” one neighbor remarks.