YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) — A teenage boy is recovering after he was hit by a car on his way to school Friday morning. The driver is now behind bars.
Police say they used speed cameras and surveillance video to find the vehicle that hit the teen.
“I just pray that this young man is OK,” said Cheryl Kelly, a retired bus driver who called 911.
Kelly never dreamed the scene she discovered while running a routine errand.
“As I was coming down, I saw a young man standing with his hands over his head. He looked distraught. Then I looked down and saw another young man on the ground,” she said.
That person was a 16-year-old boy, hit by a car around 9:05 a.m. at Bennington Avenue and Parker Street near East High School.
The driver, a 46-year-old man who was not named, sped off and left the scene.
He was arrested and faces charges of leaving the scene of an accident and driving under suspension.
“Very heartless for someone to run over a kid and keep going. I have no respect for a human being like that,” Kelly said.
She quickly jumped into action, immediately dialing 911 and looking for any way to help until paramedics arrived.
“I felt so helpless to see that young man laying on the ground and I can’t do anything for him. I looked in my car to see if I had something to put under his head,” Kelly said.
Police were able to track down the driver using speed cameras and surveillance video to identify the vehicle — a white truck that they located at a nearby apartment complex. The cameras have been installed in school zones throughout the city.
“I’ve learned a good lesson, as well, this morning. We have sidewalks here on Bennington where this incident happened but regardless, it still shouldn’t have happened,” Kelly said.
The vehicle was “quickly spotted” by police after the teen was hit, a press release said.
Kelly urges drivers to pay more attention to the road.
“I just ask people to be very vigilant with how we drive. Pay attention and respect the kids that’s walking,” she said.
The teen was taken to St. Elizabeth Health Center in Youngstown. His injuries are serious but at this time, are not considered life-threatening, authorities say.
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