Child Hit By Truck in Putnman County, FL Over Thanksgiving Holiday

PUTNAM COUNTY, Fla. —

A little girl is recovering after being run over by a pickup driven by her father in Hawthorne Thursday.

The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office confirms the 7 year old was hit on a private property near State Road 20 at 6:45 PM.

Witnesses say the truck was driven by her father. They say he quickly pulled into a gas station near SR 20 to meet an ambulance, and was desperate for help.

"When he jumped out he was like, 'Help, help, help, I just ran over my daughter,'" said Ruth Bryant who works at the store.

Bryant says she ran over to the truck to help the little girl.

"I noticed the little girl was panting and breathing and she was scared, but she could talk and knew today was Thanksgiving."

Bryant said the father was frantic.

"He he was really, really scared. The guy was out of it. He had just ran over his kid. He was really, really scared!"

Bryant says the man told her it was an accident.

"He said he asked the kids, 'is everybody in,' and the kids said, 'yes.' She also has two brothers and I guess by him hearing the kids say yes, he thought she was in the truck."

Bryant said the girl was hit in the stomach area and that she was covered in sand.

"The sand was really soft there and it absorbed her body and that really kind of saved her."

Police say the girl was taken to UF Health Gainesville and they do not expect any criminal charges to be filed.

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