Police Sergeant Buys Clothes for Third Grade Bicyclist Struck by Car

A 10-year-old San Leandro boy remains hospitalized with major injuries after he was struck by an SUV in a crosswalk on his way to school Tuesday morning, according to police. Police said the boy, a third grade student at Washington Elementary School, was wearing his helmet as he walked his bike across Dutton Avenue at Arbor Drive in a marked crosswalk just a few blocks from school at about 7:50 a.m. on Tuesday when he was struck by a Chevy Tahoe driving on Dutton Avenue toward Bancroft Avenue at about 25 to 30 miles an hour.

Police said witnesses who responded to the crash discovered the boy, who was riding his bike to school for the first time, to be unresponsive and called police for help. After officers arrived, the boy regained consciousness and began to scream, according to police.

The boy was then was transported by ambulance to UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital in Oakland. Police said the boy suffered several broken bones, including multiple fractures in his leg and ribs, as well as a broken arm, a broken collar bone and minor head trauma. But they said his bicycle helmet saved him from severe head trauma.

San Leandro police said the boy’s clothes had to be cut off so paramedics could provide proper medical care and Sgt. Troy Young, who was one of the officers on scene, was so moved that he bought a new outfit and delivered it to the hospital on Tuesday night.

San Leandro police released a statement in which one of the boy’s family members said, “I cannot tell you the depth of gratitude our family feels about this.” The family member said, “It truly was above and beyond the call of duty. At a time when it seems you only hear about police brutality, it is heart-warming to know there are good people such as Sgt. Young who obviously care.”

San Leandro police spokesman Lt. Robert McManus said in a statement, “We cannot stress enough the importance of wearing a bicycle helmet and in this case it proved to work as designed. We are relieved that doctors have reported that the boy will make a full recovery from this tragic accident.”

Police said they aren’t releasing the name of the driver of the Chevrolet because their investigation into the cause of the accident is continuing but they said he’s a man in his 40s who doesn’t have a valid driver’s license. They said traffic investigators have preliminarily concluded that the SUV driver was at fault for the accident and the boy did everything right. Police said they will determine whether to seek charges against the driver after they complete their investigation.

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By Bay City News