15-month-old toddler struck and killed by car in Rishon Lezion parking lot

A 15-month-old baby girl was struck and killed by a car in a parking lot in the central city of  Rishon Lezion on Friday, police and medics said.

Police said in a statement that the child had briefly separated from her parents outside the Red Pirate toy store when she was hit by a woman driving a Mercedes.

Magen David Adom medics were dispatched to the scene, but the toddler was already unconscious when they arrived. The medics carried out resuscitation efforts and rushed her to Holon’s Wolfson Medical Center where doctors were forced to declare her death.

The driver was brought in to a nearby police station to submit a statement and officers collected security camera footage at the scene of the accident, police said.

It was Friday’s second traffic death, taking place hours after a 72-year-old motorcyclist collided with a vehicle at the Kabul junction in northern Israel and died.

The year 2019 saw a significant spike in traffic deaths, with 355 people killed, up from 316 the year earlier, according to the Transportation Ministry.

It is thought that 2020 could see a lower annual rate, but only because Israelis spent a number of weeks sequestered in their homes during the coronavirus lockdown.