A seven-year-old boy was seriously injured after being hit by a car near the intersection of 3rd and Troup in Kansas City, Kansas on Wednesday afternoon.
According to authorities, the child was apparently crossing the street from a local computer center when he was struck by an oncoming SUV around 5:30 p.m. The driver of the vehicle stopped and is cooperating with authorities. It is not clear whether charges will be filed at this time.
The child was rushed to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries. Initially, the boy had to undergo surgery to relieve bleeding in his brain, but early this morning, police announced that the boy had been updated to critical condition and was expected to survive.
“While we are all relieved that the boy is expected to survive, this is still unacceptable,” said BikeWalkKC Executive Director Eric Rogers. “Drivers have to remain vigilant for pedestrians and cyclists, especially children.”
“It is always heartbreaking to see a child struck by a vehicle, but even more so when it happens near a school we work with,” said Maggie Priesmeyer Green, Director of Programs, referring to the Safe Routes to School program in Wyandotte County at Banneker Elementary School. “While the programmatic work we do is necessary to help kids be safe, the only long-term solution to this problem is a multi-faceted approach including effective policy that protects vulnerable road users like this boy.”
We have written in the past about the need to improve the built environment to keep people safe.
For more information, contact Karen Campbell, Director of Development and Communications, at (816) 205-7056 (ext. 2) or by email at karen.campbell@bikewalkkc.org.
BikeWalkKC believes that crashes are not accidents and clothing is not an excuse.