It happened just after 7 a.m. at the intersection of Abbott Street and Scarboro Avenue in the Rosebank section.
Authorities say the mother was holding her daughter's hand, crossing Abbott Street on the way to day care, when a Jeep Cherokee northbound on Scarboro Avenue struck them while turning onto Abbott.
"I heard the mother screaming," witness Frances Garcia said. "Everybody was running straight over there. When I got there, the mother had her whole body over the baby."
The girl was taken to Staten Island University Hospital in critical condition but later died from her injuries.
"The mother was over the child, and the baby was bleeding through her head," Garcia said. "The driver came over and helped her out and told her, 'I'm sorry, I'm sorry.' She was was like, 'It's not your fault. the truck was in the way.'"
The mother was also hospitalized in stable condition.
The 40-year-old woman driving the Jeep Cherokee stayed at the scene.
That driver, Shannon Cocozza, has been charged with failure to yield to a pedestrian and failure to exercise due care.
The police investigation into the incident is ongoing.
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