11-year-old boy hit by speeding driver while he was trying to bypass slow-moving traffic in Miami Gardens, police say
An investigation is underway in Miami Gardens after police said a driver who was speeding to try and bypass morning traffic hit and injured an 11-year-old boy on his way to school.
According to Miami Gardens police, the incident took place just before 8 a.m. Tuesday in the 1200 block of northwest 188th Street.
Surveillance video from a neighbor's home security camera captured the moment leading up to the crash.
In the video, you can see the black Ford Fusion speed through the intersection and move around another car, driving on the swale.
You can then hear a horn, the collision, and yelling and screaming.
"I heard a big bang. Like an explosion. Like a 'boom,'" neighbor Orlando Lawrence told CBS News Miami. "So, I ran outside and I looked and I saw the car before I saw the kid. So, I ran out and then saw the kid on the floor."
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue airlifted the boy to Ryder Trauma Center with serious but stable head injuries. Police say he is currently in stable condition.
The driver, who Miami Gardens Police has identified as 23-year-old Darius Forbes, was taken into custody and will face reckless driving charges.
Neighbors heard the crash and feared the worst.
"In my mind, I'm coming out to a child that's dead because that's actually what my husband said, but thank God he's not dead," another neighbor, Natisha Charles, said.
Charles said her dog was hit and killed by a speeding car recently on the same road.
"To the family of the little boy, I'm very sorry, but at least he's stable, he's alive, he's getting better, but hopefully other drivers in the neighborhood would slow down and observe the speed limit," Charles said.
Lawrence said he was in a bad accident on NW 12th Avenue about two years ago and had to be airlifted, just like the young boy.
Both neighbors are urging drivers to be more cautious.
"Slow down, slow down because kids are playing, you know, and sometimes I'm going to be walking across the street, but there's always speeding and people overtaking people," Lawrence said.
A spokesperson with Miami-Dade County Public Schools shared this statement confirming the boy is a student at one of their schools:
"Miami-Dade County Public Schools is aware of an off-campus incident earlier this morning in which Parkway Elementary School students were injured in an accident. We are grateful for the swift response of the City of Miami Gardens Police Department and appreciate its ongoing investigation into this matter".