7-year-old boy dies after fall from pickup

A 7-year-old boy died Thursday after jumping off the back of a slow-moving pickup in a northeast neighborhood, Las Vegas police said.

Detective Bill Redfairn said the incident occurred around 3:30 p.m. near Owens Avenue and Hollywood Boulevard. Redfairn said a woman was driving with five young relatives, ranging in age from 7 to 10, in the bed of the truck.

The boy jumped from the truck while it was moving slowly on a cul-de-sac.

Redfairn said it was unknown if the boy hit his head or was run over by a vehicle.

The boy had a pulse when paramedics arrived at the scene, but died either on his way to or at a local hospital, Redfairn said.

The other children in the truck were unharmed. The boy's identity and the woman's identity were not released. Redfairn would not say whether the driver was the mother of the deceased child.

Redfairn said in Nevada it's illegal for anyone under the age of 18 to ride in the bed of a pickup.

"Common sense tells me you don't put unrestrained passengers in the bed of pickup trucks," Redfairn said. "The other puzzling thing is there was room in the cabin of the pickup for the five children."

Redfairn said Thursday the driver of the truck could face a vehicular manslaughter charge, but that it was too early to make that determination. He said she was so shaken up by the incident that she was taken to University Medical Center for treatment.