Hingham Police: Boy In Crosswalk Hit By SUV That Drove Around Stopped Traffic
HINGHAM (CBS) – A nine-year-old boy was hit by an SUV in a crosswalk in Hingham Wednesday. His injuries were so serious a MedFlight helicopter was called in.
It happened on High Street, right in front of Plymouth River Elementary School at about 5:30 p.m. Police had the street blocked off for close to four hours, trying to figure out what led to the near tragedy.
"We heard a loud noise and we thought that it was a car crash at first," said Mark McDonald. "We walked over and we heard the kid crying."
Witnesses said two boys were rollerblading across the street in the crosswalk. A handful of cars had stopped so the kids could cross, but the driver of a silver GMC Yukon apparently didn't realize that.
"The traffic had stopped and a motorist drove around the stopped traffic and struck the child," Hingham Police Sgt. Steven Dearth said.
The woman who hit the boy stopped immediately as witnesses rushed over to help him, some providing towels to stop his bleeding. Responding officers quickly summoned MedFlight which flew the injured child to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. Witnesses say he was conscious the whole time. His condition is not known, but he is expected to survive.
The driver of the Yukon, later identified as a 61-year-old woman from Scituate, was clearly distraught, but police have not yet described her version of events.
She was cited for negligent operation, failure to yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk and a marked lanes violation. Police did not release her name, but said she will be called to a hearing in Hingham District Court on the charges "at a future date."