PRATTVILLE — A pall seemed to loom over Prattville on Monday, in the wake of a 3-year-old dying after being run over by a lawnmower.

Her death happened about 1:30 p.m. Sunday on Laurel Hill Road in Pine Level, reports at the Autauga County Sheriff’s Office reveal. The girl’s father was driving the riding lawnmower when it backed over her, said Chief Assistant District Attorney C.J. Robinson. She was pronounced dead at the Prattville Baptist Hospital emergency room, said Coroner Buster Barber.

More:3-year-old run over by lawnmower, dies

“Right now, we believe we are dealing with a tragic accident,” Robinson said. “There is no evidence of foul play. State law requires that the death of a child be investigated. That’s what the sheriff’s office is doing, conducting a death investigation.

“Once completed, the findings will be presented to a future session of the Autauga County Grand Jury for review. That is standard procedure in a case like this.”

News of the tragedy was the topic of lunchtime conversation in the city’s restaurants. Corie Sanders joined a group of co-workers at Fox’s Pizza, a popular downtown eatery.

“I have no words,” she said, unable to suppress a shudder. “What that father, and really the whole family, must be going through. My husband showed me the story on Facebook Sunday afternoon, and I cried like a baby.”

The sheriff’s office is not releasing the name of the girl, due to her age. The Laurel Hill neighborhood is just off U.S. Highway 31 North, about 11 miles north of Prattville. It’s made up of a mix of well-kept brick and wood frame homes with large yards. There are plenty of swing sets, bicycles and peddle cars sprinkled in yards throughout the neighborhood.

The family declined to comment through a spokeswoman when a Montgomery Advertiser reporter went to the home on Monday morning.

Tommy Rawlinson walked out of Fat Boy’s Barbecue Ranch, another downtown spot, about noon Monday. He said he can’t get the image of what happened out of his mind.

“I’ve rode my grandchildren around on the tractor and the lawnmower for years,” he said. “Not anymore.”