Two children from Missouri, ages 6 and 7, died on May 29 after the car that the 7-year-old boy was driving crashed through a field and immediately caught on fire.
Stolen vehicle
According to Sgt. Andy Bell, a spokesman for the Missouri Highway Patrol, the two brothers left the house of their grandparents and their car to drive around the city. The two boys drove through a nearby field and through a county road in the east of Kansas City over the speed limit.
The car of their grandparents was a 2007 Buick LaCrosse. Bell said that the case is unique but very devastating. The state patrol wrote in the report that the car struck a guardrail and it also struck a guy-wire.
The 7-year-old boy lost control of the car and it overturned before it hit a tree. The car then landed on its roof and it caught fire before the boys had the chance to escape. The two boys were pronounced dead at the scene of the crash, and their names have not been released by the police.
The report, however, showed that the crash happened at around 4:20 p.m. Bell said that they believe that the speed that the children were going contributed to the car flipping and hitting the tree. The car ran off at East Blue Mills Road, according to the report.
The Jackson County Sheriff's Department and the Highway Patrol are investigating. Bell said that the sheriff's office is now looking at how the two children were able to get a hold of their grandparent's car.
Similar incidents
In 2019, four children between ages 10 and 14 stole a family car and packed it with fishing rods and other picnic items. They then went on a 600-mile road trip on the Australian coast, according to police.
One of the four children left a note for their parents before they left for the road trip. The parents called the police and they found the car parked along a highway in New South Wales.
The four children took turns driving during the 930 kilometer trip from Rockhampton in Queensland to Grafton in New South Wales. The Nissan Patrol car belonged to one of the parents of the four children. The children were taken into custody and faced charges. Inspector Darren Williams stated that the journey was pretty far for children to drive.
The police used a cell phone signal to track the car, and when they found the car, the children refused to open the car door. The whole escapade of the children lasted for 10 hours before they were found. Authorities encourage parents to make sure that their car keys are placed in areas that children can't reach or can't find.
Leaving the car keys lying around the house could tempt them to take the cars for a drive, which is very dangerous. It is also important to teach children that vehicles are not toys and that driving them around without guidance could lead to accidents.
