A 27-year-old man has been charged with negligent driving occasioning death after a three-year-old girl was fatally struck by a 4WD in a driveway in Auburn, western Sydney. The girl was hit while playing in the front yard shortly after 2pm on Tuesday and was rushed to Westmead Hospital in a critical condition, where she died several hours later, prompting a police investigation and forensic examination of the scene.

The male driver, who was uninjured, was taken for mandatory testing before being charged and bailed to appear at Burwood Local Court on Wednesday. He is understood not to be related to the girl, and his connection to the household and the circumstances of the crash remain under investigation. Neighbours described hearing a loud bang followed by screaming, and the girl's mother said her daughter had been playing with a toy kitchen set while she hung out washing, as they did every afternoon. Forensic officers photographed a Range Rover at the scene, and a report will be prepared for the coroner.