Twins Struck And Injured By Vehicle In North Philadelphia
By Oren Liebermann and Jericka Duncan
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A twin boy and girl are recovering after police say a driver hit them with a Ford SUV on Saturday afternoon, sending them to the hospital.
Emily Sanchez, 11, is fighting for her life at St. Christopher's Hospital for Children, while her mother is praying for her recovery. Sanchez suffered injuries to her head and her legs.
"My neighbors called me and said, 'Your kids got hurt, your kids got hurt,' and I ran outside and saw both kids on the floor," said Jessica Sanchez, the mother of the twins.
Emily's twin brother, Eduardo, is in better shape. He has a broken leg and a broken arm, but he was able to tell his mother he is doing all right.
"He said 'Mommy, I'm ok, I'm ok,' but my daughter - she's not talking," said Jessica Sanchez.
The twins were riding their bikes at 9th and Birch streets at 4 p.m. when witnesses say the driver of a Ford SUV came barreling down the road out of control. Witnesses say he hit two cars before hitting the kids.
"I told them I'd be careful on the streets, and they said 'I know,' and two minutes later, they were underneath somebody's car," said eyewitness Luis Diaz.
One of the bikes wrapped around the wheel of the SUV. Bike parts littered the street. And a young boy's shoe was wedged under the tire of the SUV. Diaz saw the kids get hit.
"They were actually screaming. The little girl was passed out for a few minutes on the floor," said Diaz. "And then she woke up screaming."
The crash stopped the car. Diaz even grabbed the keys to make sure the 58-year-old driver could not speed off. Instead, witnesses say he tried to run away, until Ramon Ramirez caught up to him two blocks away.
"He was just trying to get away and then he sat down, and he didn't want to stay there," said Ramirez. "He just wanted to leave."
Police have not yet released the identity of the driver.
