Two people are dead following a pair of unrelated motor vehicle accidents in East Palo Alto. The first accident occurred on Gloria Way and Bay Road where a 5-year-old girl was struck and killed by a passing car Wednesday morning. Another unrelated accident occurred a short distance away on Runnymede Ave, this second accident, occurred after police were called to a home on a report of suspicious activity in the homeowner's backyard.

According to a witness at the scene of the first accident, the young girl was walking with her mother along the side of the road when a driver stuck the girl. The girl did not survive her injuries. A neighbor and witness called police to report that the accident and told authorities that the young girl, still accompanied by her mother was lying in the street.

Both the driver of the vehicle and the girl's mother were at the scene when police and emergency vehicles arrived. The girl, a student at Cesar Chavez Elementary School, was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident.

In the second crash, a homeowner believed that the driver and passengers of an SUV were attempting to break into the home. Police were given a description of a SUV or mini-van on the property. As police tried to stop an SUV close by, the driver allegedly sped away, striking and killing a motorcyclist in the process. The driver and passengers of the SUV were arrested by officers on the scene. The motorcyclist was pronounced dead at the scene.

Source: San Francisco Examiner "Two dead in two unrelated accidents in East Palo Alto, CA," Oct. 3, 2011