“Shaken driver feels for family of girl killed in Cape Coral accident - Asheville Citizen-Times” plus 2 more

Shaken driver feels for family of girl killed in Cape Coral accident - Asheville Citizen-Times
7-year-old girl's death leaves community in shock; 10 ... - WINKNEWS.com
Driver who struck, killed Cape Coral girl speaks - Marco Island Florida.com

Shaken driver feels for family of girl killed in Cape Coral accident - Asheville Citizen-Times

Posted: 03 Jun 2010 09:25 PM PDT

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Discussion: When you're kids are playing outside, how do you supervise them?

1:10 A.M. — Jacob Amann was trembling as he relived the horror.

He tried to steer his truck away from from two young girls who rolled in front of him on skateboards Wednesday evening on a residential Cape Coral street.

One girl, 7-year-old Abigail Lynn Janssen, was killed. Her cousin, Anna McManus, 10, was treated at a hospital for minor injuries and released.

Now, Amann and Abigail's family are trying to cope with the tragedy.

"My thoughts and prayers go out to the family," Amann said, his voice choking with emotion. "I did everything I could to get out of the way."

Amann, 27, said he was driving away from a friend's house on Northeast 11th Terrace just after 7:30 p.m.

"I didn't get up to 30 mph. I never did see the little girl" until she was in the street, Amann said.

Abigail and Anna were lying chest down on skateboards when they rolled down a neighbor's driveway and into the street, said police Capt. Lisa Barnes.

When he saw the girls in front of him, Amann said he braked and swerved.

It wasn't enough.

His front right tire struck Abigail; Anna was struck by a rear tire on his 2004 Ford pickup, according to crash investigators.

After his truck hit Abigail and Anna, Amann said, "I ran over to the girls. I called 911. I did everything I could to help."

Anna's mom, Ami McManus, said her daughter grabbed a cell phone from somebody and called her.

"I was about five minutes away, but my husband, Terry, was home and he ran outside," she said.

A sample of blood was taken from Amann and will be sent to a state lab for toxicology results while the crash investigation continues, Barnes said. Amann has not been charged.

Amann said he voluntarily gave a sample of his blood. He said he was not drinking or using drugs prior to the accident.

Amann said he can only imagine what Abigail's parents must be going through.

"I have two little girls of my own, a 6-year-old and a 4-year-old," he sobbed.

Abigail and Anna were inseparable, McManus said.

"They've been best friends since they were born," she said. "They were as close as cousins could get."

McManus said she and her husband told Anna on Thursday that Abigail is dead.

"My daughter feels like the rest of us," McManus said. "We're sad. We're in shock. But she understands."

Abigail was at McManus' house on Northeast 11th Terrace on Wednesday evening playing outside with Anna.

"They were always hanging out at my house" and playing on skateboards like they usually did, McManus said.

Abigail "was a very sweet child. She loved animals, all animals, but especially pandas," McManus said.

She said that Abigail's parents, Chris and Mandy Janssen, are too grief-stricken to talk about the loss of their only child.

Through police, the Janssens asked that the media respect their privacy.

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7-year-old girl's death leaves community in shock; 10 ... - WINKNEWS.com

Posted: 03 Jun 2010 02:59 PM PDT

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CAPE CORAL, Fla. - An entire neighborhood is stunned after a 7-year-old girl was killed and her 10-year-old cousin injured in a Wednesday night accident.

Cape Coral police say 7-year-old Abigail Lynn Janssen was playing on a skateboard on a driveway in the 800 block of NE 11th Terrace with 10-year-old Anna McManus. Each child was laying chest down on a skateboard, and they were rolling down the driveway and into the street when the accident occurred.

The driver of a 2004 Blue Ford F-150, identified as 27-year-old Cape Coral resident Jacob Aaron Amann, was traveling west on NE 11th Terrace at approximately 30 miles per hour when the crash occurred around 7:45 p.m. Wednesday evening. The driver says he did not see the girls until they entered the roadway. He braked and tried to swerve, but it was too late; the right front tire of the truck struck Janssen. The 7-year-old died at the scene.

Janssen's cousin, Anna McManus, was struck by the rear tire but she suffered non-life threatening injuries. McManus was out of the hospital and back at home as of 5:00 p.m. Thursday.

Grief stricken, the family declined to comment.

According to authorities, "as part of the investigation, a blood sample was taken from Jacob Amann and will be sent to the FDLE lab for toxicology results." The investigation into the fatal crash is ongoing.

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Driver who struck, killed Cape Coral girl speaks - Marco Island Florida.com

Posted: 03 Jun 2010 07:38 PM PDT

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Police have identified the girl who was killed as Abigail L. Janssen, 7, of Cape Coral.

She died from injuries after a truck crashed into the skateboard she was riding on Wednesday evening.

Another girl who was struck, Anna McManus, 10, was taken to HealthPark Medical Center, where she was treated for non-life-threatening injuries and discharged.

Anna "is a little bruised but she is doing okay," said her father, Terry McManus.

The girls are cousins.

Anna does not know yet that Abigail is dead, McManus said. He is waiting for the right time to tell her.

"They grew up together," McManus said.

The accident happened when the girls were playing on skateboards in a driveway on Northeast 11th Terrace where they live.

The girls, who were lying flat on the skateboards, entered the street in front of Amann, who hit his brakes and veered to the left, according to police reports.

His truck then hit the girls, reports state.

The driver of the truck, Jacob Amann, of Cape Coral, said he did everything he could to avoid hitting the girls.

Amann said he had just left a friend's house.

"I didn't get up to 30 mph. I never did see the little girl" until she and her cousin were in the street, Amann said.

After he saw the girls, "I swerved and did everything I could to get out of the way," Amann said.

Following the accident, "I ran over to the girls. I called 911. I did everything I could," Amann said, his voice choking with emotion.

Amann said he feels terrible about what happened.

"I have two little girls of my own," he sobbed.

As the investigation into the fatal accident continues, a blood sample from the driver is being sent to a state lab for toxicology results, said police Capt. Lisa Barnes.

It usually takes several weeks before toxicology tests are completed.

Amann said he voluntarily gave a sample of his blood to police.

He said he was not drinking or using drugs prior to the accident.

"My thoughts and prayers go out to the family," he said.

From this morning on news-press.com

Flashing emergency lights marked the scene of a tragedy Wednesday night in a Cape Coral neighborhood where two young girls had been playing on a skateboard.

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Girl's Skateboard

Thursday, June 3, 2010