5-Year-Old Boy Hit By Van After Heading Into Jersey City Street To Get Hat

JERSEY CITY, NJ — A Jersey City boy was hit by a van and dislocated his leg after running into a street to retrieve his dropped hat last Tuesday, a police report said.

According to a Jersey City Police Department report, the boy, his sister, and his grandfather were walking home from school, along Nelson Avenue. The boy's father told police that the girl crossed the street, and the boy "followed his sister and dropped his hat."

The boy attempted to go back an pick up the hat, and that's when he was struck by a vehicle, a Dodge Caravan.

According to the report, the boy "had visible signs of injuries throughout the right side of his body and his right leg appeared to be dislocated."

A witness told police that she "saw the [boy] walk into the street chasing after his juvenile sister shortly he was struck."

Jersey City EMT responded and he was brought to Jersey City Medical Center.

NJ.com said the boy was hospitalized with a broken femur.

The driver of the van, who works for a trucking company, told police he was heading southbound on Nelson Avenue, on the way to Kennedy Blvd., when the boy "ran into the street in his path of traveling. " There was no damage to his vehicle and he refused medical attention, the report said.

The report noted that the accident occurred at 17 Nelson Ave., in the middle of the block. The speed limit on the street is 25 m.p.h., the report said.

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