Driver of truck that struck and killed 5-year-old Andover girl won’t face criminal charges

The driver of a tractor-trailer truck that struck and killed a 5-year-old girl from Andover, Massachusetts, earlier this year will not face criminal charges, prosecutors announced Friday.

Sidney Olson was with a group of people at the intersection of Main and Elm streets in the crosswalk near Elm Square when the crash occurred around 5:15 p.m. on May 9, according to authorities. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

The truck’s driver stopped after the crash and cooperated with police.

“The investigative findings do not provide sufficient evidence to seek criminal charges against the driver of the tractor trailer,” the Essex County District Attorney’s Office said in a statement released Friday morning. “The driver was stopped at the intersection. As he began to advance forward on the light turning green, he was unable to see Ms. Olson traveling on her scooter in the crosswalk below. The driver was not impaired by any substances and immediately came to a controlled stop after the collision.”

The district attorney’s office said its investigation was conducted in conjuction with state and Andover police. It included a review of the conclusions of an accident reconstruction expert, video from inside the tractor-trailer, photos from the scene, a digital survey of the scene, mechanical inspection of the truck, toxicology screens of the driver, an evaluation of the traffic signals and pedestrian control unit at the intersection, the results of a visibility study and witness interviews.

The district attorney’s office said the results of their investigation were provided to the family’s attorneys.

“We offer our sincere condolences to the Olson family for their immesurable loss,” the district attorney’s office said.

Community members said that the intersection can be difficult and confusing.

Sidney’s family released a statement back in May saying they were walking to an art class when the crash took place. The girl and another member of the family were in the crosswalk, with the walk sign showing, following a route they had taken “hundreds of times before.”

“The rest was a blur, and Sidney was struck by a truck and killed, leaving an impossible void in our lives,” the family said in their statement.

Calling her a “fiercely creative” explorer who loved making art, picking flowers and the music of Taylor Swift, her family said at the time that their “greatest hope was that Sidney’s boundless love for everyone encourages others to look out for the common good of our community following this tragedy.”

A 5-year-old girl was hit and killed by a tractor-trailer in a busy Andover intersection Tuesday.

They also echoed concerns that had been shared in the Andover community following the crash, that the intersection is known to be dangerous and should be fixed.

“This intersection has long been considered dangerous,” the family said. “While we’re not engineers, we also know our community can do better. We hope the town makes fast changes to that and other high-traffic intersections so no one has to experience the pain we feel right now.”