A family outing turned tragic Saturday when an 8-year-old boy was killed after he and his mother were hit by a car in the parking lot of the Ontario Science Centre.

Police say the boy’s 39-year-old father was driving the silver 2002 Toyota Corolla involved in the crash.

The child died some time later while the mother remains in serious condition in hospital.

Crews were called to the parking lot near Eglinton Ave. E. and Don Mills Rd. around 11:10 a.m. Saturday after multiple 911 calls. However, Staff Sgt. Brian Bowman was unable to confirm how many people witnessed the incident.

EMS officials say the car backed into the victims. The 36-year-old mother was transferred to Sunnybrook trauma centre with extensive, serious injuries. Police say she remains in serious condition but has been stabilized.

The boy was rushed to Sick Kids hospital in the highest emergency priority with life-threatening injuries. He was pronounced dead at the hospital. Police believe the family may have been planning to visit the Science Centre.

“We’ve seen a lot of parking lot accidents where things start going wrong, they think they’re taking braking action but there’s a gas pedal curiously close to the brake,” Bowman said.

“It appears to be a tragic accident but we have to have an open mind.”

The parking lot was closed at the time of the collision. The car involved was left straddling the curb of a grassy area.

Traffic reconstruction units are using security camera footage and say the cause of the incident remains unclear. Police continue to investigate and no charges had been laid as of Saturday night.