Boy is killed when SUV hits his family at Westminster bus stop

A man reaching for his cellphone Wednesday lost control of his SUV and slammed into a family waiting at a Westminster bus stop, killing a boy and injuring his mother and two sisters, police said.

The boy, whom police described as about 9 years old, was declared dead at the scene. His mother and two sisters -- ages 10 and 13 -- were taken to hospitals, where the mother was in critical condition, the 13-year-old in serious condition and the 10-year-old treated for minor injuries and released, authorities said.

“It’s a pretty sad scene,� Officer Van Woodson of the Westminster Police Department said. “It’s pretty tragic.�

Though the children’s names were not released, the mother was identified as Eugenia Campos, 33, of Garden Grove and the driver as William Splitter, 71, of Huntington Beach.

Splitter was questioned and released, though the cause of the accident is still under investigation, Westminster Sgt.Tom Richard said. Alcohol did not appear to be a factor, he said.

The accident occurred about 2:15 p.m. near Garden Grove Boulevard and Edwards Street when the SUV, eastbound on Garden Grove Boulevard, jumped a curb and crashed into an Orange County Transportation Authority bus stop.

Woodson said Splitter indicated he had been trying to make a right turn when he reached down for a cellphone and lost control of the SUV.

Recent studies by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and other agencies have indicated that drivers using cellphones are four times as likely to be involved in crashes serious enough to cause injuries.

Earlier this year, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed legislation prohibiting the use of hand-held mobile phones while driving in California except in emergencies. The law is set to take effect in July 2008.

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