Three Springfield, Oregon children killed and their mother critical after being struck by truck

• Mother and three children were crossing intersection on Sunday evening
• Struck by a silver Ford pickup truck at Main Street in Springfield, Oregon
• Youngsters, aged four to eight, were pronounced dead at scene by medics
• Mother was taken to area hospital, where she remains in critical condition
• Driver is 'cooperating with investigators'; no arrests have yet been made
• Police are currently informing relatives; names of victims not yet released
• Crash occurred at same intersection where pedestrian died in December
  

By Sophie Jane Evans For Dailymail.com

Published: 18:02 EST, 23 February 2015 | Updated: 19:03 EST, 23 February 2015

Three children aged four to eight have been killed and their mother left critically injured after being struck by pickup truck while crossing a busy Oregon intersection, police have said.

The four victims, who are yet to be identified, were using a crosswalk on Main Street in Springfield on Sunday evening when they were hit by the large silver Ford truck, which was traveling eastbound.

The children were declared dead at the scene after suffering devastating injuries. Their mother, meanwhile, was rushed to an area hospital, where she remains in a critical condition.

The tragedy occurred at the same intersection where pedestrian Daniel Ortiz-Raynaga was fatally struck by a car two months ago. He was carried on the vehicle's roof for 11 blocks as it fled.

Emotional: Three children aged four to eight have been killed and their mother left critically injured after being struck by pickup truck while crossing a busy Oregon intersection, police have said. Above, Lisa Hurlimann pays her respects to the victims on Main Street at 54th in Springfield, where the youngsters were declared dead

Scene: The mother of the three child victims was rushed to hospital, where she remains in a critical condition. Above, Joanna Benway holds her three-year-old daughter, Aracely Montes, 3, at the scene on Sunday evening

Speaking of the latest crash, local Julianna Bjurling told the Eugene Register-Guard: 'I was at home and I heard this "thump". By the time I got out here, the kids hadn’t been covered yet.

The 44-year-old, who knew the woman and her three children, added that the driver came to a halt immediately after the crash. He then climbed out of his truck and stared at the scene, she said.

He is said to be cooperating with investigators and no arrests nor citations have yet been made.

Police were called to Main Street at 54th at around 4.50pm following reports of a crash. Within minutes, Springfield Police and the Eugene-­Springfield Fire Department were on the scene.

A major traffic accident investigation team later arrived at the intersection. Two hours on, the bodies of the children remained in the road so police could reconstruct the crash as accurately as possible.

They were covered at around 7pm. According to police, the four victims had been at a small grocery and were in or in the vicinity of the marked crosswalk, heading home, when they were hit.

Memorial" Bonnie Davies and her toddler daughter, Isabella Davies, pay their respect in Springfield on Monday

Fatal crash: The victims were struck by a silver Ford pickup truck (file picture), which was traveling eastbound

Main Street in the area of the tragedy is described as a 60-foot-wide, five-lane commercial stretch, a local artery with lots of intersections, access points for businesses, and pedestrians crossing.

It also carries traffic from a state highway, Oregon 126, which goes through Springfield and Eugene as it connects Central Oregon and the Oregon coast.

State and local officials said the intersection has well-marked crosswalks and traffic lights, as well as new countdown signals that tell pedestrians how many long they have left to make a safe crossing.

Officers were notifying relatives on Monday. The names of the victims haven't been released.

In a statement, Springfield Police Department, which closed both eastbound lanes of Main Street for seven hours on Sunday night, said they would not release further information on the children.

It added: 'At this time the names of the adult victim, or the driver of the vehicle, are not being released due to the ongoing investigation and family notifications,' KVAL.com reported.

In the December crash, driver Isabel McDaniel, 30, is accused of taking 67-year-old Mr Ortiz-Raynaga's body off her car roof and left him in the street. She is charged with manslaughter.

Busy: Main Street in the area of the tragedy (pictured) is described as a 60-foot-wide, five-lane commercial stretch, a local artery with lots of intersections, access points for businesses, and pedestrians crossing

Aside from the death in December, one other pedestrian has been killed at the intersection since 2009, Rick Little, a state Department of Transportation spokesman, said.

He added that officials have taken steps in recent years to improve safety in a corridor along Main Street, including installing mid-block crosswalks and countdown signals at intersections with lights.

Police are investigating Sunday's tragedy.