Boy Hit on US Route 40 in Critical Condition, Police Say

A 32-month-old was in critical condition Wednesday after he was hit by a vehicle on US Route 40 in Perryville Tuesday evening, police said.

Police told Perryville Patch that the boy was struck at 10:04 p.m. on Route 40 westbound in the left turn lane in front of the Royal Farms store.

The child was with his mother, her boyfriend and another child, Sgt. Keith Budnick of the Perryville Police Department said.

They were crossing Route 40 when the adults turned to lift a stroller over the guardrail and the boy walked into traffic, Budnick said.

"They were prior to the crosswalk 350 feet, and there were no streetlights there," Budnick said. He said that according to the police report, the incident was attributed to "pedestrian error."    

A 60-year-old Perryville woman was driving the 2001 Plymouth that struck the boy, Bucknick said; she was not injured.

The car was traveling between 30 and 34 mph, Budnick said.

Budnick said that the fast lane and southbound turn lanes on Route 40 were closed as first responders cleared the scene.

A Maryland State Police helicopter landed at the Community Fire Company of Perryville Tuesday, then took the child to Johns Hopkins Pediatric Hospital, where he was in critical condition Wednesday at the pediatric intensive care unit, Budnick said.

This was the second case this week in which a local pedestrian was involved in a crash at night. Over the weekend, a Perry Point man was hit by a vehicle in Elkton.

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