Police are on Riverside Street (Route 113) near School Street and Mammoth Road right now investigating a hit and run accident in which it appears someone ran down a young boy and then just kept driving about 2:30 p.m.
The 12-year-old Lowell boy was thrown about 20-feet through the air and into the median, where a good-sized blood stain remained as officers were on the scene this afternoon.
Bob Whitaker grabbed this photo as the boy was being transported.
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UPDATE: Spoke to a witness who says these cars were drag racing, and may have run a red light when this boy was hit tonight. Information from her will all be in my story in the paper.
I'm gonna go ahead and post the story here since I spent too much time working on it to blog much tonight. It's a little early since it's not on the web yet, but I doubt many people will notice at this time of the morning.
By Robert Mills
rmills@lowellsun.com
LOWELL -- The 12-year-old boy, barely able to open his eyes, tried to raise his bleeding head from the pavement yesterday afternoon moments after he was run down while crossing Riverside Street in a crosswalk.
A witness who ran to his aid told the boy to be still -- an ambulance was on the way.
Emergency crews were called to Riverside Street (Route 113) at School Street at 2:36 p.m., after one of two cars that were drag racing down Route 113 struck the boy as the cars sped through the busy intersection, according to police.
Neither car stopped to help.
The Lowell boy, who police did not immediately identify last night, was taken to Lowell General Hospital, and then flown to Children's Hospital in Boston. His condition was not immediately available.
Barbara Winegar, who lives on Pawtucket Boulevard, said she was with her son Stephen Winegar as he drove toward the intersection. They were near the intersection with Varnum Avenue when two cars, a black Honda and a light blue sedan, passed their Jeep.
"These two cars flew by us so fast they moved the whole Jeep," Winegar said. "The wind just hit the Jeep."
Moments later, Winegar and her son would watch in horror as the blue and black car went through the intersection with School Street and Mammoth Road.
Winegar said the blue car changed lanes to pass the black car, and as it did struck the boy who was walking in the crosswalk.
Winegar believes the cars had a red light, but police could not confirm that last night.
The boy flew about 20-feet through the air, coming to rest in the raised median of the highway.
Winegar and her son ran to his aid, her son staying with the boy.
The black Honda stopped down the street a bit, and a white male who was driving leaned out of the car and looked at the boy.
Winegar said she told that man to stay put, but he responded with an expletive and drove off.
The blue car never even stopped.
Winegar believes that car may have been a Mitsubishi Lancer. She knows it was a light blue sedan.
Police said the car should have front-end damage, including damage to the bumper, hood, windshield and possibly roof.
After speaking to several witnesses, police said some details of what happened were unclear, such as whether the light was red, and what the description of the car was.
Police asked that anyone with information on a "bluish-colored" sedan, possibly a Mitsubishi, Honda, or Mazda, call police immediately.
Police Superintendent Kenneth Lavallee, who said it appears the cars were drag racing, offered a personal plea for the drivers to come forward.
"All I can say is please come forward now before this gets worse," Lavallee said.
Winegar, still shaken by the sight of the boy, was thinking of the boy's family last night, and hoping the drivers would come forward.
"My heart goes out to his family," she said.
As for the drivers, she hopes they both come forward, but especially the man in the black Honda.
"I want to plea to the people, especially that kid in the black car," she said. "I know you didn't hit the kid, and you may know a little more about who was driving the other car."
"Please come forward, that's all I want. This little boy was hurt bad."
Anyone with information is asked to call Lowell police at 978-937-3200 or Crimestoppers at 978-459-TIPS (8477). Information can also be sent to police anonymously via Text-a-Tip, by texting TIP411 (847411) with the subject "LPDTIP."
Callers can remain anonymous, but can receive up to $1,000 for information leading to an arrest.
One thing, if people notice that I describe the intersection as Riverside Street and Mammoth Road and School Street, that's because that's what the intersection actually is, even though the boy was struck on what most people know was VFW Highway or Pawtucket Boulevard.
Heading west, VFW Highway (Route 113) becomes Riverside Street at the Y-intersection where Riverside Street merges with VFW Highway.
From there to the red light at Mammoth Road and School Street, Route 113 is Riverside Street.
On the other side of the that intersection, Route 113 is Varnum Avenue, until a few hundred yards down where Varnum Avenue splits off.
From there on is Pawtucket Boulevard.
How confusing is that?
Here is a link showing you what I'm talking about.
I also included a pretty graphic description that will possibly get us some criticism in the comments on the story, but we talked about it in the newsroom tonight and decided to go with what I wrote above.
I don't often like to be so graphic, but in a situation where we all hope someone comes forward with information, I wanted to be graphic to make any readers understand just how awful this was.
This boy was only 12, and he was in a crosswalk, just like he should have been.
If we were graphic just to sell newspapers, I would have a serious problem with the descriptions I include in the story, but in this instance I went with the details in the hopes they will provoke someone who knows something to come forward.
Regardless of whether you like talking to police, this little boy and his family deserve to find out who did this. This isn't the Sopranos, it's a 12-year-old boy, and someone who didn't even stop to help him.
Anyone with information is asked to call Lowell police at 978-937-3200 or Crimestoppers at 978-459-TIPS (8477). Information can also be sent to police via Text-a-Tip, by texting TIP411 (847411) with the subject "LPDTIP."
Tipsers can remain anonymous, but can receive up to $1,000 for information leading to an arrest.
