A GoFundMe page has been established to help pay for the funeral expenses of five-year-old William Everett Copeland, who was killed in Hillsborough on Monday when he was struck by a construction truck.
Emotional, frantic 911 calls were released by Orange County Emergency Services on Tuesday detailing the moments immediately after the incident. One caller said a doctor in the neighborhood was performing CPR on the boy. The other two calls were placed by a man and woman who said it was their child who had been struck. Both callers said the child was unconscious but had a pulse. WCHL is not airing the emergency calls.
Alejandro Suarez, of Angier, has been charged with death by motor vehicle after police say it appears Suarez was responsible for control of the vehicle. Hillsborough Police Chief Duane Hampton said in a release on Monday that “we don’t believe the vehicle was properly secured.”
The incident occurred in the Forest Ridge subdivision, which has some complete homes and some still under construction. Officials say the truck was being loaded with dirt when it rolled away from its work area.
Police say Copeland was taken to Duke University Hospital but was pronounced dead Monday afternoon.
Crescent Communities is the developer that owns the community. Crescent Communities spokesman Tony Wilbert issued a statement after the incident.
“Crescent Communities is saddened by the accident and the child’s death [Monday] at the Forest Ridge community in Hillsborough. The accident involved construction equipment operated by a contractor hired by one of the community’s homebuilders. Because Hillsborough police have charged another company’s employee in the death, Crescent cannot comment on the actual events or criminal case. We are closely monitoring the situation and cooperating with authorities. Crescent cannot express strongly enough our sympathies for the child’s family and friends.”
The GoFundMe page says Copeland has a twin and younger sister.
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