Man charged in death of 7-year-old girl who fell out of his truck in Montgomery County
Andres Marin was giving children a ride in the back of his Subaru Sambar truck, which has low sidewalls around the rear bed.
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A 48-year-old Plymouth Meeting man has been charged in the death of a 7-year-old girl who fell out of the back of his truck last month, Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele said Tuesday.
Andres Marin, who surrendered to authorities on Tuesday, was charged with involuntary manslaughter, homicide by vehicle, endangering the welfare of children, and related offenses. He was released on $50,000 unsecured bail and his next court appearance is scheduled for Sept. 19.
On Aug. 22 around 8 p.m., Marin was driving his white 1996 Subaru Sambar when five neighborhood children asked him for a ride in the back. The children — ranging in age from 6 to 11 — had previously asked for and had been given rides in the truck, which has an unusual appearance, investigators said.
The side walls around the truck’s rear bed measure less than a foot in height.
Investigators determined that the 7-year-old girl — identified only as SK — leaned over a side wall, fell, and struck her head on the pavement, then was run over by the truck.
Marin stopped his truck, picked up the girl, and drove back to her family’s home, investigators said. Marin then drove the girl’s father and the girl to Einstein Medical Center Montgomery, where she was pronounced dead that night.
The Pennsylvania vehicle code prohibits any person younger than 18 from occupying the bed of a pickup truck while it is on a roadway.
“This activity by the defendant was illegal, it was dangerous, and he should have known that it was just a matter of time until one of these ‘fun’ rides ended tragically,” Steele said in a statement.
“Our hearts and prayers go out to the family of this little girl, who died due to the defendant’s complete disregard of the danger in allowing young children to ride in the open bed of a pickup truck, especially a truck with such low sidewalls. Four other children and their families are also greatly impacted by their friend’s death, and we feel for them as well,” Steele said.
Marin, who was described by the girl’s mother to investigators as a neighbor and a friend, consented to searches of his truck and his garage, investigators said.
No attorney was listed for Marin in court records, and Marin could not be reached for comment.