Police release name of driver of truck that hit, killed toddler

It did not appear the 23-month-old girl struck and killed Wednesday afternoon by a Clark Public Utilities pickup truck was being “directly supervised by an adult” at the time of the collision, according to a news bulletin issued by the Vancouver Police Department.

Miriam K. Weston was driving westbound on Northeast 59th Street just west of 137th Avenue, in the North Image neighborhood near Orchards, at about 3:20 p.m. when she hit the toddler police say ran into the street.

The child’s name is expected to be released today. Police say they’ve waited to release the child’s name to accommodate the wishes of the girl’s family, which asked for time to notify relatives.

Jim Flaherty, a Vancouver Fire Department spokesman, told the Columbian the area where the girl came from is paved, and there’s a chain link fence, but was obscured with overgrown grass and blackberry brambles.

The girl had been playing outdoors with other children prior to the accident.

She didn’t live in the neighborhood and was visiting relatives, according to the bulletin issued Thursday by Kim Kapp, a police spokeswoman.

Weston, who stopped immediately and was cooperative, is not suspected of speeding or being intoxicated.

An investigation by the Vancouver Police Traffic Unit is ongoing.

Weston is a field service representative who connects and disconnects electricity for customers and sometimes collects money owed, Mick Shutt, a spokesman for the utility, said Wednesday. Employee assistance and counseling will be available for her, if needed, he said.