Boy on scooter hit by SUV while on way to Clayton school
CLAYTON, Calif. (KTVU) - Surveillance video shows the moment 10-year-old William King was hit by an SUV while on a scooter.
"This is a very busy intersection," says neighbor Chris Callaghan.
It happened at about 7:30 a.m. Friday on Mitchell Canyon Road and Four Oaks Lane, just a block from Mt. Diablo Elementary School where William is a fifth grader.
Kids and parents often cross the street, even though there's no crosswalk. A sign there reads "NO PED CROSSING."
After William was hit, Callaghan rushed outside to help.
"I was just basically holding his hand, waiting for people to get his parents to come out, and the school authority and the paramedics and stuff to show up," Callaghan said, adding he brought a blanket for William because he was lying on a cold, wet street.
Paramedics and Clayton police arrived on scene. William was communicative and was airlifted to UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital in Oakland. He'll stay there overnight as a precaution.
Clayton Police Chief Elise Warren says the woman driving the SUV wasn't speeding at the time of the collision and stopped after the crash. She will not be cited, Warren said.
Callaghan says at least five kids have been hit by cars in the past 15 years. Mitchell Canyon is used by big-rigs headed south to a quarry, and morning traffic quickly backs up in that direction. He said kids think it's OK to cross, but then are hit by cars heading north.
"This view is blocked for whatever particular reason, kids are popping out, either running across the street, or you know, they're scootering across the street," Callaghan said.
Amanda Mazza, a parent at Mt. Diablo Elementary said, "It's a very dangerous street. I don't know if a crossing guard would necessarily be the answer for it. I don't really know what it is, but I just feel horrible for the parents of the kid who it was."
In a statement, the Mt. Diablo Unified School District said, 'We are working with pd to assess traffic activities to see if we need to do anything different or extra to what we do as school starts and ends.”
Clayton Mayor Tuija Catalano told KTVU she will be checking with Chief Warren and the school district to see if any added safety measures are needed for the intersection.