Residents of a neighborhood in South Baltimore, Maryland are mourning the loss of a kindergarten student who died as the result of an auto accident.

The boy's death was a result of a rear-end collision on lanes of road that connected the northbound side of Interstate 83 and the inner loop of Interstate 695. The accident occurred at around 3:00 p.m. when a 23-year-old male driver behind the wheel of an SUV collided into the back of a sedan that was carrying the boy and his family. Two other vehicles were also tangled up in the accident.

The boy's father and 9-year-old sister were injured in the crash as well. The young girl suffered a broken leg while the children's father will require shoulder surgery. The driver of the SUV was treated for injuries but released from a hospital soon after.

The fate of the man responsible for the crash, a resident of West Baltimore, has yet to be determined. Members of the Maryland State Police Department have not yet filed their final police report, but did reconstruct the accident to determine that the man was likely speeding. The man does not have any criminal offenses on his driving record. Police said it could potentially take weeks before the final report is filed. Neither the man, nor those close to him, was willing to comment on the accident.

The loss has hit hard a tight circle of families who were close with the boy. Many remember him for frequenting the community pool, running through a nearby park and participating as a member of the soccer team.

It is difficult to imagine the pain that the boy's family and community must be enduring. In addition to the emotional heartbreak, the family has also been left with debt due to the medical treatments, loss of wages and the boy's funeral expenses. It is possible that the family may be able to recover these types of financial losses. An attorney with experience in Maryland personal injury laws will be able to provide valuable advice to the family or anyone who has gone through a similar tragedy.

Source: Baltimore Sun, "Child, 5, who died in crash was fixture in South Baltimore neighborhood," Peter Hermann, Dec. 29, 2011