Child driving car hits, critically injures woman walking dog in Oakland; driver, child passenger also hurt

A child under 10 years old was behind the wheel of a car in Oakland on Thursday when it crashed and hit a woman walking her dog, police said. 

The incident happened at about 9:30 a.m. in the area of 35th and Mangels avenues in the Barlett neighborhood of East Oakland. The Oakland Police Department said officers who responded to a report of a crash involving a pedestrian arrive to find a woman in her 30s who had been hit by a sedan. Medics took her to a hospital in critical condition, police said.

There were two children in the vehicle, the driver and a passenger who was also under 10 years old, police said. Both children were injured and taken to a hospital in stable condition.

The investigation determined that the white Toyota Camry was heading northbound on 35th Avenue when it struck a vehicle heading south 35th Avenue and then lost control, hitting the pedestrian who was walking her dog and in a crosswalk at 35th and Mangels Avenue. The car ended up crashing through a fence of a home on the corner.

The dog was later found unharmed in the area, according to the East Bay Times.

Police said it was unknown if alcohol or drugs were a factor in this collision. The parents of the two children were contacted and were cooperating with the investigation, police said.

Anyone with information about the incident was asked to contact the Police Department's traffic unit at 510-777-8570. Those with videos or photos that could help investigators were asked to send them to cidvideos@oaklandca.gov.