Toddler Found Driving Motorized Toy Big Rig on Florida Highway
— -- A 3-year-old boy was found driving a motorized toy truck on a Florida highway, police said.
Officers responded to a 911 call on Wednesday of the toddler attempting to enter traffic on U.S. Highway 19 in Crystal River, Florida, police said. When officers got to the scene, several vehicles had formed a blockade around the child, who was sitting behind the wheel of the toy big rig in the median of the highway, police said.
The boy traveled about 500 yards to get to the highway, cutting through neighbors' yards, Citrus County Sheriff's Office spokesperson Lindsay Blair told ABC News. The family's home is about two blocks away from the highway.
“The father would have found him a lot quicker if he had taken the main roads,” Blair said.
The child had not been struck by traffic on the highway, witnesses told police. A Good Samaritan used a blanket to cover the toddler, who was only wearing a shirt and diaper as temperatures hovered around 52 degrees, police said.
The father told police that he left his son alone in their living room to use the bathroom when the boy hoisted himself onto a small chair to reach the locks to the front door. He said when he called his name and didn't get an answer, he noticed the door was ajar and immediately jumped on a bicycle to search for him.
Deputies ensured that both father and son made it home safely, police said.
The Department of Children and Families is now investigating the case. Their names are being withheld pending the investigation.
