PHOENIX, AZ (3TV/CBS 5) – A Phoenix mother is thankful her son is alive after a red-light runner hit him in his stroller while crossing the street. The driver then took off. It happened just before 8:30 pm on Sunday, February 20th at 19th and Glendale avenues.
The boy’s mom, Tyliah Green, says her uncle was returning from the store with her son while she was at home with her 2-month-old daughter. The pair was in the crosswalk and had the green light when police said the driver ran the red light and hit them. Her son, 2-year-old Jayden Garcia, was thrown from the stroller. “When they found him, he was out of (the stroller), laying on the concrete floor, unconscious,” said Green.
The uncle was barely hit, just getting pushed out of the way. “Nothing too serious,” said Green. Jayden was rushed to Phoenix Children’s Hospital where he’s in stable condition. However, he’s a long recovery ahead of him, as he has a brain bleed, cracked skull, a broken wrist, and pelvis. “He’s lucky because he could have died,” said Green. “He’s a lot stronger than I thought he was and handling everything so good.”
Investigators say they don’t have a suspect description but the car was described as 2004-2010 charcoal gray Nissan Altima or Maxima. Green doesn’t understand why the driver didn’t stay at the scene. “I have no words. I don’t understand how he could have kept going and not stop because my son could have been dead,” said Green. She also said the driver didn’t have the headlights on.
The intersection is a busy area, with people getting on and off the light rail. People we spoke to say hit-and-run crashes are all too common.
We wish a swift and full recovery for the injured child.
Source: 3TV/CBS 5