JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A 13-year-old boy was taken to a hospital with critical injuries Wednesday morning after an SUV hit him at the intersection of Division Street and Kings Road in the Grand Park area.
JSO said the boy was walking to school with his 12-year-old brother when he was struck. The crash was initially reported around 8:30 a.m.
JSO said the driver, who is around 60 years old, stopped and is cooperating with investigators. JSO said there were no indicators of impairment.
Detectives are now trying to determine if speed was a factor.
JSO said the teens were on the south side of the road moving northbound, cut across the parking lot of a church and were not in the crosswalk.
“It hits home. It is the saddest with the youngest and most vulnerable. The older and younger pedestrians are very vulnerable,” Sgt. Robert Hungerford said. “It is tragic. If you could just rewind time and fix it, everybody would. It is just a sad thing to see, especially a juvenile injured.”
JSO said one of the brothers indicated that he thought the driver was on the phone at the time of the crash, but JSO added that drivers are allowed to use a phone, but there are regulations as to how it is used when behind the wheel, and JSO is investigating that claim.
Kings Road was blocked in both directions at Division Street because of the crash but the road reopened after 10 a.m.