OCEAN CITY, MD - The Ocean City Police Department, Ocean City Firefighters, and EMS Clinicians responded to the scene of a motor vehicle collision involving a young child and a tram Tuesday night.
UPDATE:
Tuesday, August 27th marks one week since a tram hit and killed a two year old child on the boardwalk. We are continuing to press for more answers in the case.
We reached out to a police spokesperson and the department along with the mayor's office, but did not get a response back.
Town leaders shut down the tram service immediately following the accident. We went back out into Ocean City on Tuesday and learned the community is still focused on the child's family and affected employees.
"I mean it's a tragedy and I understand why they closed it and to investigate it and my heart goes out for the family and everybody that witnessed that scene," said Deborah Spencer.
In the wake of last week's accident, those who need the tram are patiently waiting for it to return, even it's not this summer.
Spencer, much like a lot of vacationers who frequent Ocean City, relies on the tram to get up and down the boardwalk. It's why she hopes at some point, it does come back.
"Especially as I'm getting older I find that I need it more and it's a nice way just to take a ride from one end to the other and see everything that Ocean City has to offer," said Spencer.
Cindy Rambler from Lancaster, Pennsylvania is in the same boat.
"We're getting older, my sister and I and it's hard to, you know she's got bad knees and my sight isn't the way it used to be," said Rambler. "So to ride the tram one way and walk the other is very helpful to us."
Now, the accident is still very much on the minds of Spencer and Rambler, as well as the town of Ocean City. In the past week, a mountain of stuffed animals left at the scene in memory of the child has grown tremendously.
Hoping to avoid another heartbreaking situation, Rambler hopes the town makes some adjustments. One suggestion she had was adding a horn similar to the trams in Wildwood, New Jersey.
"We used to vacation in Wildwood when I was growing up and that's the biggest joke, 'watch the tram car, watch the tram'," said Rambler mimicking the Wildwood tram horn. "But, you know it's coming."
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Ocean City Police Department reported around 8:40pm, on August 20th, they were on the scene near Dorchester Street and the Boardwalk for a serious motor vehicle collision. The collision involved a pedestrian and tram, according to OCPD.
Just before 11 p.m., police released an update that the incident had resulted in the death of a child.
Police say a 2-year-old boy was crossing the boardwalk tram pad when he was struck by a tram driving south. The boy was pronounced dead on the scene.
A portion of the Boardwalk was closed for the investigation Tuesday night. The Traffic Safety Unit is asking anyone with information on this incident to contact them at bpanitch@oceancitymd.gov or the Police Department directly at 410-723-6610.
On Wednesday morning, Ocean City announced Boardwalk Trams had ceased operation. A potential date for when the tram service would be restored has not yet been determined, according to Ocean City.
"There are no words to convey the profound sadness we feel for the family and their unimaginable loss," Ocean City Mayor Rick Meehan said on in a statement. "We are devastated and heartbroken. Ocean City is a tight-knit community, and we grieve together in times like these. We are committed to supporting the family and ensuring that everything possible is done to prevent such tragedies in the future."
The Town says they are fully cooperating with authorities in their ongoing investigation into the fatal crash.
This is a developing story. We will update this article when more information is available.
