SALISBURY — A 5-year-old girl was injured Sunday evening after she was accidentally struck by her father while he was backing up his pickup truck.

The family was at their home on Blue Heron Road when the accident occurred around 6 p.m. The father was in his pickup on his way to his parents’ home, said Rowan Sheriff’s Office Capt. John Sifford.

The young girl decided at the last minute she wanted to go with the father and ran behind the truck. An older child was also outside but not injured. He backed up a few feet and jumped out when he realized he’d struck his daughter.

He removed the child and placed her into another vehicle and the family called 911. The dispatcher told them instead to go to nearby Miller’s Ferry Fire Department to await an ambulance. The child was conscious and alert and was taken to the hospital by ambulance.

A sobriety test, which the father passed, was done as a precaution.

Sifford said the father was visibly shaken and that the incident was clearly an accident. Sifford cautioned motorists to be aware of their surroundings, especially if young children are near.

No charges have been filed.