10-Year-Old Boy Struck By SUV Driver Who Ignored Flashing Lights, Stop Sign On School Bus: Cops

KINGS PARK, NY — A 10-year-old boy was airlifted to the hospital after being hit by a SUV while he was crossing the road to get to his school bus Friday morning, Suffolk Police said.

The boy, a student at William T. Rogers Middle School, was crossing First Avenue at Carlson Avenue in Kings Park at 7:54 a.m. when the 81-year-old driver of a 1998 Dodge Durango that was going northbound on First Avenue ignored the flashing red lights and stop sign on the school bus and struck the boy, police said.

Jessica Palencia, 21, identified the boy as her brother Ian Palencia-Mendoza, according to a report in Newsday.

The boy airlifted by Suffolk County Police helicopter to Stony Brook University Hospital for treatment of serious but non-life threatening injuries, police said.

The driver of the SUV, Pasquale Izzo, of Kings Park, stayed at the scene. He has not been charged with a crime at this point, but drivers who illegally pass stopped school buses can face fines and up to 30 days in jail, according to state law.

The Dodge was impounded for a safety check and the investigation is continuing. Anyone with information on the crash is asked to call Fourth Squad detectives at 631-854-8452.