Toddler dies after being struck by car in Kent; aunt critically injured trying to save her

(This story has been updated to correct an address, and to include additional information about the accident as well as names of the accident victims).

A 22-month-old girl was struck and killed by a car Saturday night after she walked out on the Benson Road in Kent after leaving a relative’s nearby house.

The girl’s 43-year-old aunt, who tried to save her, also was struck by a car and remained hospitalized Monday in critical condition.

Rosie Taylor, who would have turned 2 in November, slipped out of the back door of a relative’s house to go outside, according to a Kent Police media release.

The accident occurred at about 7:30 p.m. in the 21200 block of 108th Avenue Southeast, also known as the Benson Road.

Rosie Maalona, the aunt of Taylor, was approaching in her vehicle and saw her niece about to walk onto the busy street. Maaloa jumped out of her car to stop the girl, but was struck by a southbound Dodge Intrepid driven by a 69-year-old Renton woman.

Taylor was hit at the same time as her aunt by a southbound Honda Civic driven by a 54-year-old Kent woman.

Emergency personnel transported both to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. Taylor died shortly after. Maalona suffered many broken bones and other internal injuries, said Kent Police Sgt. Pat Lowery.

“Rosie Maalona is in critical condition in intensive care,” a Harborview spokeswoman said Monday.

The investigation did not indicate that either driver was under the influence of alcohol or drugs nor is there any evidence to suggest that speed or recklessness contributed to the accident.

“This appears to be an incredibly sad chain of events,” Lowery said in an e-mail. “I anticipate our investigators will wrap up their inquiry by mid-week.”