Father pleads for drivers to go slow after death of his toddler son

A grieving father is begging drivers to slow down through his Gresham Park neighborhood after the tragic death of his 2-year-old boy.

The family confirmed the mother was taking groceries out of the car in their driveway at 10 p.m. Friday when her son got away from her and ran into the street. The boy's father said he was in the house when he heard the tires screech to a halt.

"I couldn't get outside fast enough. As soon as it happened I ran outside, I seen him in the street I knew he was gone," said Kennyon Spence. "You can see the skid marks. You can see the skid marks. You can see where they hit him at. You can see where he laid dead at."

Spence said the skid marks will haunt him for as long as they lay outside his driveway. DeKalb County Police told FOX 5 the boy was taken to an area hospital and pronounced dead. They said the woman who hit the toddler stayed at the scene and cooperated with police. She was not charged. Spence said the woman was devastated by what had happened to his son.

Although the speed limit posted is 35, neighbors said many drivers go much faster on the two-lane street of Gresham Road.

"Please slow down. It could have been your child. But it was mine," said Spence.

Friends and family gathered over the weekend to comfort the grieving couple. Many had nothing but sweet things to say about the toddler whose life ended far too soon.

"Happy baby, ball full of energy. Fight, fight. Hung his boxing gloves up. My little champ. My little champ... champ for life," said Spence.

The family hopes to have a vigil on the week anniversary of the boy's death. They also hope to get speed bumps put in the road to keep this from happening to another family in the future.

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