Child seriously hurt after car hits him in Lehigh Acres

A 9-year-old child is in the hospital with serious injuries after a car struck him at a Lehigh Acres bus stop.

Lee County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to the scene located on Columbus Boulevard and Ermine Street at around 7:14 a.m. on Friday.

According to LCSO, the boy was hit by the car while sitting at a school bus stop.

According to the Florida Highway Patrol, an SUV driver was waiting at the southeast corner of the bus stop.

The child was sitting on the edge of the roadway, directly in front of the SUV.

After the school bus arrived and stopped at its designated location, children began to board the bus. The bus then departed.

After departing, the SUV driver began to drive away from the bus location, unaware of the child sitting on the ground directly in front of the car.

According to FHP, the child was waiting for a second school bus to arrive.

The vehicle then hit the child. After hitting the boy, the driver immediately backed up and stopped the vehicle.

“I was here this morning when it happened, and I called 911, and my wife, she assisted the child until the paramedics and cops got here,” said Tedd Darnell.

Tedd Darnell, a veteran, was with his own son waiting for the bus when the boy got hit.

“There’s lots of adrenaline going, and it’s intense, but you do what you need to do in the moment. My wife and I were both prior military, so some of that training kicks in, and you just do what you need to do,” said Darnell,

Darnell said he and his wife tried to keep the child calm while they waited for help.

“He’s in a lot of distress, a lot of pain, but of course, scared,” said Darnell.

FHP reported that the child was taken to the Golisano Children’s Hospital via a med flight to treat his sustained serious injuries.

“I think that’s the biggest thing is just scared and trying to explain to a young kid that things are going to be okay, and it’s an unfortunate event, but he’ll be okay,” said Darnell.

But their good deeds didn’t stop there for the day.

“It’s a busy intersection, a busy spot, and there’s no place for children, or, you know, kids or anybody to hang out and sit and be out of the way safely. And so we took it upon ourselves to help out with that,” said Darnell. “So we went, picked up a bench and brought her a picnic table and brought it out here for people.”

Darnell saw how busy the road was during bus drop-off times. Shortly after his interview with WINK, reporter Annalise Iraola even helped stop traffic so a young boy could cross and use the bench for the first time.

“There was a there’s a situation and a problem, and we were able to, hopefully help with it. So just part of, part of helping out,” said Darnell.

The Lee County School District released a statement regarding the crash: “We are aware of the accident and looking into it. We remind our entire community that students are at the bus stop every morning and afternoon, and it’s up to all of us to drive carefully and keep them safe.”

WINK News will keep you updated if we learn about the boy’s condition and recovery.

The crash remains under investigation.