ROANOKE, Va. – 5:55 p.m. UPDATE:
A teenage boy is facing charges after he was hit by a car in Roanoke City.
“He was on the ground screaming in agony and pain,” said Trevor Kirby, a neighbor who says he witnessed the aftermath of the crash.
Kirby says his son is best friends with the teenager, both 15 years old.
“He’s kind of like a son to me,” said Kirby.
On Wednesday, Kirby recounted the terrifying moments after the 15-year-old boy was hit by a car along Yellow Mountain Road SE right in front of his Garden City home. Kirby said it happened around 10:30 a.m. on Monday.
“He came to see our son who was home sick from school that day. He left a little before 10:30, had came to the bottom of the driveway to cross the [street] to meet the school bus. And when he got to the bottom of the driveway, we heard kind of a scream and a screech,” said Kirby.
“We ran down to see what was wrong. You could tell his legs were twisted,” said Kirby. “We tried not to get him to move and got Fire & EMS here as quick as possible.”
That boy was rushed to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital. Kirby said he visited the teen in the hospital Wednesday after he got out of surgery.
“He [had] a broken spot in his spine, one of his vertebras was broken and his leg is broken in two spots. He had a surgery where they went in and put a plate and a rod with six screws in his leg,” said Kirby.
Roanoke City Police confirmed they responded to a crash:
“Officers responded to a motor vehicle accident in the 3600 block of Yellow Mountain Rd on September 9th. On scene, it was determined that a male under the age
of 18 had sprinted across the road and collided with a vehicle.”
Police say the teen was charged with violating Virginia Code Section 46.2-923 ‘How and where pedestrians to cross highways’ and say both parties are cooperating with the investigation.
Kirby said he didn’t understand why the teen was charged at all.
”I was told they had a camera shot of him stopping at the bottom of the driveway, yet he’s still charged,” said Kirby. “I thought pedestrians always had the right of way.”
“We’re right here on an intersection. I would expect people to kind of slow down, especially when they see a child on the side of the road,” Kirby added. “We have a lot of problems, especially in this area, with people not slowing down or paying attention.”
10 News reached back out to Roanoke Police, who said they won’t comment on an active case, but released this statement:
“I would like to reiterate that the Roanoke City Police Department takes traffic safety, pedestrian safety, bicyclist safety, scooter travel, and all the other avenues of travel in our great City at the utmost importance.
We encourage reflective gear, we encourage lights on whatever avenue that you’re using to travel even on your person, know that the time is starting to change and things are getting darker on us quicker than we expect and to please be mindful of that as you’re out and about. We encourage motorists to always have their head on a swivel, drive with caution and awareness, and even when they’re doing the speed limit, even when they’re doing everything safe they possibly can to still be very aware and vigilant of all the various types of modes of travel on our roadways and sidewalks.”
-Capt. Jennifer Boswell, Roanoke City Police Community Response Bureau
Kirby said he’s still concerned for other pedestrians and would like to see the city add speed bumps, warning signs and increased police presence.
“Just take your time and look. You never know who’s trying to cross the road. Especially on this small road right here. It’s not very wide, there’s no pedestrian path, there’s no crosswalks. It’s a dangerous intersection right through here,” said Kirby. “Definitely be careful keep your eyes open.”
Kirby said the teenager is a freshman in high school. There is a bus stop in the neighborhood at the intersection of New Spring Branch Rd SE and Baltimore Ave SW. 10 News reached out to Roanoke City Public Schools, who tell us the district does not have a high school bus scheduled to run in that area at 10:30 a.m. on Monday.
10 News spoke with Kirby and the teenager’s family who say he is part of a program where he has a shortened school day, which is why he was trying to catch the bus at that time.
A juvenile was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries after Roanoke City Police say he ‘sprinted across the road’ and was hit by a vehicle.
Authorities said the incident happened on Yellow Mountain Road on Sept. 9.
Roanoke Police did not disclose the boy’s age but said he was under 18. He has been charged with ”how and where pedestrians to cross highways.”
According to the police department, both parties are cooperating with the investigation.
We will continue to update this article as we learn more.
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