Police: Child Hit By Truck In Port Richmond
By Diana Rocco
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – Philadelphia Police are investigating after they say a nine-year-old boy was struck by a vehicle while riding his bike Monday.
It happened shortly after 5:30 p.m. at Frankford Avenue and Elkhart Street in Port Richmond.
Witnesses say the nine-year-old boy they call Julio was struck by a man driving a pickup truck just after 5:30 p.m. Monday on Elkhart Street.
"We didn't see him breathing at first. Then I looked and I saw his stomach moving and then the dude picked him up, shoved him in the car, didn't say anything, just shoved him in the car, and just took off," eyewitness Michele Krause said.
"I was shocked, but I was thinking like maybe he's just worried, he wants to get him help, like right away," eyewitness Kathleen Robbins said.
Witnesses saw a man stop the truck and kneel over the boy bleeding on the ground.
"The metal bar of the truck smacked the boy in face and ripped his whole head open," Krause said.
That's when the driver put him in the back seat of his pickup and drove away. Police say he stopped when he saw a police car and explained what happened. Police then transported the nine-year-old to St. Christopher's Hospital for Children where a family friend spoke to Julio's mom a short time later.
"There were lacerations to his head and he was getting those stitched up," family friend Sue Eastlack said. "Julio is in stable condition and they expect a full recovery."
The driver did return to the hospital to answer police questions.
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