6-Year-Old Boy Killed In Methuen Crash

METHUEN (CBS) – A 6-year-old boy was killed in a horrific crash in Methuen Tuesday morning.

The child, identified as Brian de Paz, was ejected from a car that collided with a van at the intersection of Berkeley Street and East Brook Place around 7:25 a.m.

The boy's mother, Flor de Paz, has minor injuries. The van driver was not hurt.

Flor was taking her son to the YMCA at the time.

"He was my very little friend, he was always 'mummy I'm your friend don't forget that, I'm your best friend ever,'" Flor told reporters Tuesday afternoon.

Methuen Police Chief Joseph Solomon said it appears the boy's mother ran a stop sign in her Honda Civic and the van slammed into her car in the intersection.

The boy was ejected and then run over by the van, Solomon said.

Flor says the van driver was speeding and she tried to get out of the way, but she accepts partial blame for the deadly crash for failing to completely stop.

Geraldine Goodwin woke up to heart-wrenching screams outside her front door.

"I heard someone screaming and she's saying, 'My son! My son!'" Goodwin told WBZ-TV.

It's not clear yet if the child was restrained properly in the car.

"Based on the size of the child, was he able to a slip out of the seat belt or was the seat belt secured? We haven't touched the vehicle.  We have a crime scene investigator here and they're going to photograph it, then we'll do an investigation," Solomon told reporters.

Flor says she can't remember if Brian was wearing a seat belt.

"Every day I tell him 'Brian put your seat belt on' sometimes he didn't listen to me," she said. "A lot of times I stop my car to make sure he did but today I didn't."

"Part of the autopsy will determine if there are any injuries consistent with a seat belt," Solomon said. "You usually see them on X-rays."

The boy's uncle says Flor and her son moved to Methuen just two months ago.

"(It's) sad day for everyone everywhere, but particularly in your hometown when you lose a child so tragically," the chief said.

Goodwin says her heart goes out to the mother. She knows the pain she's going through all too well.

"It's hard 'cause I lost my son four years ago so I know what it is," she said. "I just feel so sorry for her."

WBZ-TV's Anna Meiler contributed to this report.  You can follow her on Twitter @AnnaMeiler.