Neighbors gather as police investigate an accident on David Street in Dale Borough that sent a young child to the hospital on Friday, April 1, 2016. The child died at the hospital, the Cambria County coroner said.

The vehicle-pedestrian crash that killed a 3-year-old boy in Dale Borough is being ruled an accident, authorities said.

Cambria County Coroner Jeffrey Lees said an autopsy conducted Saturday showed Joseph J. Forsythe of Johnstown’s Coopersdale neighborhood died from multiple traumatic injuries after he was hit by a car in the 200 block of David Street shortly before 2:30 p.m. Friday.

The boy was pronounced dead at 4:37 p.m. in the emergency room of Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center in Johnstown.

The child was visiting a great-grandparent when he apparently darted across David Street and was struck by a 2008 Saturn Aura.

The driver – Zachary James Smith, 27, of Johnstown – was taken into custody by state police from the Ebensburg barracks but has not been criminally charged.

State police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section officers are reconstructing the crash. 

“With summer upon us and children outside playing, I cannot stress enough the importance for drivers to use extra caution when driving in residential areas,” Lees said. “It only takes a second for an accident to happen.

“This was a heart-wrenching case for our office,” he said.