INDEPENDENCE, Ky. -- Services were held Wednesday for the boy who was hit and killed on Interstate 275 on May 2.
Megan Ritter let her son, 3-year-old Dawson Elder, out of her car to urinate after she had stopped on the side of the interstate because of a flat tire. A driver changed lanes and struck Ritter’s car, killing the boy. He was standing on the road 6 inches from the bridge wall when the crash occurred, a family member said.
Campbell County Commonwealth Attorney Michelle Snodgrass said officials are gathering information on whether charges should be filed.
“I think in situations like this it’s always natural to want to find somebody responsible,” Snodgrass said. "It’s really important for us to differentiate between an accident and criminal conduct. That's what we are trying to do. It’s important for the families. It’s important for the community.”
Taylor Mill Fire Department Chief John Stager called the nature of the incident tragic and overwhelming.
"She was doing what she thought was right," Stager said. "She was waiting for help to come.”
Kenton County Prosecutor Rob Sanders described the scene as “horrific.” First responders from nearly a dozen agencies were on the scene; all were offered counseling afterward.
Both Snodgrass and Stager said their own status as parents lent an extra horror to the situation.
"There were just little kids’s shoes laying in the roadway," Stager said. "You walk up on something like that and you know it involves a kid, your stomach kind of sinks when you have children."
A GoFundMe page has been set up for Dawson's family.
