Driver jailed: SUV killed Danish girl on Charleston sidewalk

CHARLESTON, S.C. – An 11-year-old Danish girl has died after she was struck by a vehicle while walking with her parents in South Carolina earlier this week.

News outlets reported the Charleston County Coroner’s Office said Selma Akguel of Middelfart, Denmark, died Tuesday at the Medical University of South Carolina hospital.

Charleston police say the girl was walking with her parents on a sidewalk Monday evening when she was struck by a sports utility vehicle. Her parents were not hurt.

The driver, 30-year-old Jeffrey William Wakefield of Charleston, is charged with reckless homicide and driving under the influence resulting in death.

Wakefield was being held in the county jail. It was not known if he has an attorney yet. The drunken driving charge carries a penalty of up to 25 years in prison.