TOWN OF PERSIA, N.Y. (WKBW — New York State Police say a 13-year-old boy is in critical condition after he was hit by a car while riding his bicycle.
Investigators determined the boy did not return home when he was expected to and the family began searching the area when they could not reach him by phone. Troopers responded to the family's missing child call at about 11 p.m. Tuesday.
More than three hours later, at 2:09 a.m. police say the boy was found on the side of State Route 62 with evidence and debris that indicated he was hit by a car that left the scene.
The child was taken by Mercy Flight to Oishei Children’s Hospital in critical condition.
The vehicle involved was eventually found and the driver was interviewed. Troopers say he is cooperating with the investigation.
A spokesperson for Gowanda Central Schools tells 7 News the victim is a student at Gowanda Middle School.
“It’s not fair that an innocent kid gets hit because [drivers] speed here,” Jim Whalen said.
Whalen lives across the street from where that boy was found.
He tells me that he has lived here for 45 years, and he’s always had trouble with cars speeding down his road. The speed limit is 45 miles per hour.
“[Drivers], they go about 60-70 miles per hour coming out of Gowanda. It seems like the cops don’t stop up here. I’ve called, and they just say get their license plate, but you can’t get their license plates, they’re going too fast,” Whalen said. “It has got to stop, look at what happened just the other night.”
