The driver of a Sysco truck who struck and killed a 5-year-old girl earlier this year will not face criminal charges, prosecutors said.
Essex District Attorney Paul F. Tucker made the revelation Friday, a little more than six months after Sidney Olson was hit on the streets of the small Massachusetts town.
The family is still pursuing a civil lawsuit against the driver who hit the child on May 9 while she was attending an art class with a relative in Andover.
Relatives said she had the walk signal, but the driver did not see the child as he drove forward when the light turned green.
The often busy intersection gives pedestrians the right of way, but Essex District Attorney Paul F. Tucker said Friday the girl’s death was not the result of a crime.
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The decision, announced this week by prosecutors, comes just over six months after Sidney Olson (seen here) was attacked on the streets of a small Massachusetts town
The often busy intersection gives pedestrians the right of way, but Essex District Attorney Paul F. Tucker said Friday the girl’s death was not the result of a crime
The family is still filing a civil lawsuit against the driver, who has not been named, after he hit the child on May 9 while she was walking to an art class with a relative at that intersection
In a statement, he said: “The results of the investigation do not provide sufficient evidence to file criminal charges against the driver of the tractor-trailer.”
Citing a “thorough and detailed” police investigation, which also included videos from inside the food van, he added: “The driver was stopped at the junction.”
“As he drove forward at the light that turned green, he could not see Ms. Olson, who was riding her scooter in the crosswalk below.
“The driver was not impaired by any substances and immediately came to a controlled stop after the collision.”
The prosecutor’s office added that attorneys conducted a toxicology exam on the driver and a mechanical inspection of his vehicle after he immediately stopped to cooperate with police.
Prosecutors also based their decision on several witness interviews – after several described a female relative holding the child’s lifeless body.
She was pronounced dead at the scene.
The driver’s name was not mentioned in Tucker’s statement because no charges are being filed against him.
However, the Democrat noted that his office shared the findings with the Olson family, who he said were “relieved to have completed the criminal investigation.”
Relatives said she had the “go” signal, but the driver missed the child as he drove forward when his traffic light turned green
The driver of the Sysco truck stopped to cooperate with police after the accident and was not named in the prosecutor’s statement because no charges were filed
The prosecutor said in a statement: “The results of the investigation do not provide sufficient evidence to file criminal charges against the driver of the tractor-trailer.”
“As he drove forward at the light that turned green, he could not see Ms. Olson, who was riding her scooter in the crosswalk below. The driver was not impaired by any substances and immediately came to a controlled stop after the collision.
Still, a civil lawsuit remains on behalf of the family after they released a statement explaining how the accident at the corner of Elm and Main Streets occurred.
The statement issued in May recalled how the girl and another family member crossed the crosswalk with the sidewalk sign visible, as they had done “hundreds of times before.”
“The rest was a blur,” they said, before detailing how “Sidney was hit by a truck and killed, leaving an impossible void in our lives.”
Eric, Mary Beth, Sidney and Ellis Olson painted a picture of the teen, describing her as a “highly creative” explorer who enjoyed making art, picking flowers and listening to the music of Taylor Swift.
They wrote: “Sidney was a bright, energetic girl with bouncy curls.” She attended the Springboard to Kindergarten program at SHED School in Andover, where she was known for her soft-spoken curiosity and her burgeoning ability to de-escalate conflict .
The family continued to reiterate their long-held concerns about the intersection, which had also been raised by the community, calling it dangerous and in need of repair.
They said, “Although we are not engineers, we also know that our community can do better.”
“We hope the city makes quick changes to this and other high-volume intersections so no one has to suffer the pain we are currently feeling.”
Relatives described Sydney – who had just started kindergarten – as an “extremely creative” explorer who enjoyed making art, picking flowers and listening to the music of Taylor Swift
The family is now suing the Sysco Systems driver for negligence and on Friday thanked law enforcement and emergency responders for their “hard work,” even though it did not result in charges
The family had previously expressed concern about the high-volume intersection used by the community, describing it as “dangerous” and in need of repair
They added that the decision not to press charges “does not change the terrible truth: The accident that killed Sidney, like 42,000 traffic deaths in the United States last year, was preventable.”
The family is still suing the Sysco Systems driver for negligence and on Friday thanked law enforcement and emergency responders for their “hard work,” even though it did not result in charges.
They added that the decision not to press charges “does not change the terrible truth: The accident that killed Sidney, like 42,000 traffic deaths in the United States last year, was preventable.”
The family said: “That’s why our charity, the Sidney Mae Olson Rainbow Fund, is calling for ‘Safer Streets for People’ on World Road Traffic Victims’ Remembrance Day on Sunday 19 November.”
The event, a run scheduled to take place on Thanksgiving, is in memory of Sidney, the family said – after stating that their “greatest hope is that Sidney’s boundless love for everyone will encourage others to care for the common good of ours.” caring for the community.”
As they continue to seek justice in their civil lawsuit against the driver, the family shared one final clue about their beloved late daughter – after city officials said increased security measures at the intersection are currently in the works.
They said of the youngster’s selfless behavior: “For her last birthday she wanted a rainbow theme because ‘it has everyone’s favorite color in it.'”
Family attorney Jennifer Denker added in her own statement that the “devastated” family is “pursuing civil claims against the driver as well as the trucking company that owned the truck in question.”
She wrote in an email that the driver’s tractor-trailer “was not equipped with the available safety features that could have saved Sidney’s life that fateful day.”
has reached out to Sysco Systems for comment.