LANDON ANTHONY TEITLOFF - 3 yo - Putnam County FL

FHP identifies Putnam child killed after relative backs over him

January 2, 2012 - 8:07am

By Timothy J. Gibbons

The 3-year-old killed during a mud-bogging accident Saturday has been identified by the Florida Highway Patrol as Landon Anthony Teitloff of Pomona Park.

The child was playing in a camping area, authorities said, when Victoria Suzanne Higginbotham, 32, backed up over him in a 1997 Chevrolet pickup truck.

Teitloff was taken to Putnam Community hospital, where he died.

Charges in the incident are pending, the Highway Patrol said.

http://jacksonville.com/news/crime/2012-01-01/story/fhp-identifies-putnam-child-killed-after-relative-backs-over-him

While the Florida Highway Patrol continues to investigate the
tragic death of a 3-year-old boy at a Putnam County mud-bogging park on
New Year's Eve, the County Road 310 location is being inundated with
community feedback.

"We've had nothing but support," Skeet
Alford, the owner of Hog Waller, said. "A lot of people have made
comments on our website to try and help the family get through this."

On
Saturday, Landon Anthony Teitloff, 3, of Pomona Park, was playing with a
toy in the dirt at a campsite when he was run over by a truck driven by
his aunt, Victoria Higginbotham, according to FHP.

According to a
report, Higginbotham was pulling out of a spot where the vehicle was
parked and did not know she had hit Teitloff until onlookers informed
her.


"It was a very tragic accident," Alford said. "It happens in driveways, at the beach, it can happen anywhere."

Alford said nothing like it has ever happened at a mud-bogging event.

"We are doing what we can to help the family," Alford said. "Our hearts go out to them."

Alford
said some people have set up a memorial where the incident occurred by
leaving potted plants, a little toy and a cross on a tree.

Putnam County Sheriff's Major Gary Bowling said officers were at the event to provide security.

"They
immediately recognized the situation, called rescue, rescue took the
child and they secured the scene for FHP," Bowling said.


According to authorities, charges are still pending for the
incident and tests are being run to determine if the accident was drug
or alcohol related.

FHP Lieutenant Bill Leeper said these types of accidents are not common.

"We
are still investigating and blood was drawn," Leeper said. "People need
to pay attention to their surroundings when leaving an area,
particularly when there is small children around."

Leeper said test results would not be returned for some weeks.
http://www.palatkadailynews.com/articles/2012/01/04/news/news01.txt