JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A 6-year-old child hospitalized Sunday after he was hit by a car driven by his grandmother while on a sidewalk in an apartment complex on Monument Road has died.
Luis Ostolaza-Sota Jr. was hit by a black SUV driven by the 59-year-old woman who told police she accidentally drove onto a sidewalk at the Bella Terraza apartment complex at about 2 p.m., striking the boy.
Police said the boy was pinned underneath the passenger side of the SUV when they arrived.
“I saw the car was in the wall (and) the lady was screaming,” witness Rawad Hajizi said. “So I got out and I thought she just hit the wall, but then I saw the kid under the car.”
Authorities said the driver cooperated with the investigation. The fact that she is a family member makes the accident that much more tragic.
Friends and neighbors have started a memorial for Luis outside the apartment where he lived.
"This is the Teddy bear I put down, a sign of love … for a family going through so much hurt," said Genesis Morales, who is friends with Luis' cousin. "And know that they have support from everybody else."