Girl, 3, Killed Following Her Father Across Road

A 3-year-old girl was struck by a car and killed after climbing out of her father’s SUV and following him across a road near Moorpark as he was helping another daughter whose truck had run out of gas.

Courtney Blickenstaff was pronounced dead at Simi Valley Hospital shortly after the accident, which occurred about 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, California Highway Patrol Officer Derek Kawai said.

The girl’s father, Kurt Blickenstaff, had parked on the northbound shoulder of Moorpark Road, about a quarter-mile south of Tierra Rejada Road near Moorpark, Kawai said. The man’s 19-year-old daughter Kelly had run out of gas going southbound on Moorpark Road and had called for help.

Kurt Blickenstaff crossed Moorpark Road and left Courtney behind with her 7-year-old sister. Courtney, who was not in a child safety seat, got out of the vehicle and was struck as she crossed the road, Kawai said.

The driver of the car that struck the toddler, Grace Kelly, 61, of Camarillo, was not cited.

“This is a nightmare you don’t want to wish on anyone,” Kawai said. “You turn your back for a second and this can happen.”

Courtney was the youngest of six children, five girls and a boy, friends said.

Kurt Blickenstaff is a general surgeon at Pleasant Valley Hospital in Camarillo and a prominent member of the Mormon Church in Ventura County. In 2000, he was named Doctor of the Year at the hospital and is a past bishop of the church, friends said.

Gary Miller, a family friend, said church members and relatives offered the family support throughout the day at their home.