ORLANDO, FL (WKMG/CNN) - A 4-year-old boy is dead after authorities said he wandered out of his hotel room, walked onto the road and got struck by a vehicle.
The incident happened early Friday. The Florida Highway Patrol said the boy, who had special needs, was staying with his parents at the hotel when he managed to leave their room while the couple slept.
"We believe that he moved the chair to the door," said Sgt. Kim Montes with the FHP. "The parent said that as they went to bed around 11 o'clock, they put the security lock at the top, the latch that you flip, and the chair was moved towards the door. Very heartbreaking to see this little boy laying in the middle of the road, and the driver is extremely upset.
"We don't think there's anything he could have done to avoid this as it was dark out here and you don't expect a child to be in the middle of the road as you're driving along."
The driver of the van will not face charges. He told authorities he never saw the child in the road.
Authorities say the victim and his parents were trying to move from New York to Orlando and were staying at the hotel while looking for a home to buy.
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