SOUTH BEND — A 3-year-old girl who was struck by a van Friday afternoon apparently misunderstood a relative who was telling her not to cross the street, according to police.

Sgt. Eugene Eyster, the South Bend Police traffic duty officer, said the girl, who was on the east side of South Walnut Street, was being told by a relative on the other side not to cross because a car was coming.

However, the girl apparently didn’t understand and ran from behind a parked car into the path of a small northbound van.

Eyster said the child still was unconscious when ambulance crews got her to Memorial Hospital.

The accident left Louis O'Banion, an eyewitness shocked and saddened.

"I'll never forget it," said O'Banion. "It just scared me."

Eyster said the driver of the van also was taken to the hospital for tests to see if she was under the influence of alcohol or some other drug.

Those tests are required by state law, according to Eyster, who said there was no indication the driver was drunk or under the influence of substance.

"The driver is pretty shaken," Eyster said. "She’s an elderly female with grandkids the same age."

Amanda Chipps lives in the neighborhood. She said an accident like this was bound to happen.

"You can watch people," Chipps said. "They fly down through here doing 40 to 50 miles per hour."

Chipps also talked with family members of the driver.

"I pray for the best and hope everything comes out okay," said Chipps. "This is something she'll have to live with for the rest of her life---hitting a little girl."

The investigator said a relative of the child also said the woman was driving slowly and had stopped at the stop sign at Dunham Street shortly before the accident occurred.

"There were groups of children on both sides of the street and the little one misunderstood the direction," he said.

The accident happened about 3 p.m. in the 700 block of South Walnut. It’s a narrow street in a neighborhood of narrow streets with lots of children.

Walnut Street was closed between Dunham and Ford streets for more than an hour while Eyster investigated.

Eyster urged motorists to drive slowly over the July Fourth weekend.

"There are a lot of little ones out," he said. "People need to slow down and be cautious. There’s no place to go in a hurry worth that (an accident)."