Published: April 24, 2008 09:09 am            

9th District candidate’s daughter dies

4-year-old girl killed in Jasper Kmart parking lot

JASPER — A 4-year-old Jasper girl — the daughter of 9th District congressional candidate John Bottorff — was killed Tuesday afternoon after being struck by a car in the Kmart parking lot.

Fatally injured in the 3:37 p.m. incident outside the 723 Third Ave. department store was Demiah S. Bottorff, the daughter of John and Jeanne Bottorff, 1319 Mill St.

As the incident unfolded, Jeanne Bottorff and her four children had left the store and were walking across a parking space that had just been vacated by a car driven by Jerome H. Klein, 89, 21 Arlington Court.

Klein began to drive forward, but he failed to correct his path of travel, according to the Jasper Police Department. His 2002 Ford Taurus traveled back into the parking space instead of proceeding in the driving lane of the parking lot.

Police said Klein apparently became confused and stepped on his car’s accelerator instead of the brake pedal. His car struck the girl and continued on to hit the driver’s side rear fender of a black 2002 Chevrolet TrailBlazer owned by Christine M. Brockman, 51, 3901 S. St. Anthony Road, St. Anthony.

Klein’s car then drove over a concrete parking block, sideswiped a concrete post holding a handicapped parking sign and struck a 1999 Chevrolet Lumina before coming to rest. The Lumina was owned by Carol Rasche, 60, 2813 Leslie Drive, according to police.

Demiah Bottorff was pronounced dead at 4:35 p.m. at Memorial Hospital of head injuries sustained in the accident, according to Dubois County Coroner Tony Matthews.

Klein was transported to Memorial Hospital for a blood test that is required by state law whenever a driver causes serious bodily injury or a fatality. No charges have been filed in the accident, but an investigation is continuing, according to police.

John Bottorff is one of three Democrat challengers to incumbent Baron Hill for the Democratic nomination to be the U.S. representative of the 9th District.

— Reprinted courtesy of the Jasper Herald

        

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