1-year-old hit by truck, killed in East Elmhurst; man charged

EAST ELMHURST, Queens (WABC) -- A man has been arrested after a 1-year-old girl was fatally struck by a pickup truck in Queens, on Thursday night.

Around 9 p.m., police responded to the intersection of 23rd Avenue and 94th Street in East Elmhurst.

They found a 1-year-old child, identified as Skylar Perkins, of Queens, struck by a vehicle with severe trauma to her head and body. The child and her mother were taken to Elmhurst General Hospital where the child was pronounced dead.

Police said the two had been crossing 23rd Avenue in the crosswalk, when the baby was hit by a white Dodge Ram truck as it turned right onto 23rd Avenue from 94th Street.

The truck driver, identified as Wallace Ramirez, 44, of Ashfield, Mass., stayed on the scene. He was charged with failure to yield to a pedestrian and failure to exercise due care.

Friends and family held a vigil for little Skylar on Friday night.

The police investigation is ongoing.