Business owner wants changes to sidewalk after child hit by car

Boy, 11, taken to ORMC after crash

ORLANDO, Fla. – An Orlando business owner is looking to get results after his surveillance video captured the moments after a child was hit by a vehicle.

The Orlando Police Department said the 11-year-old boy was hit while riding his bike, about 5:30 p.m. Monday on Piedmont Street.

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The driver is not believed to be at-fault and the child is now listed as stable.

Manuel Valdez said he was inside his supply shop when the accident happened.

"I just couldn't believe it,” Valdez said. “I couldn't believe what, you know, what I've seen."

Valdez's security video shows the child being thrown into the road and the driver stopping to help. A second driver is also seen attempting to get help for the boy.

"(There was) a lot of kind of worry, and hopefully he's OK," Valdez said. "It's scary, you know, thinking about it."

Valdez said the sidewalk where the boy was hit is an ongoing issue on Piedmont Street. He said there are several trees blocking drivers from seeing pedestrians.

"We always come down this street -- I ride (my) breaks when I get to that corner,” Valdez said. “(I’m) just making sure no one jumps out, because we see it all the time.”

Valdez calls the area of the sidewalk a blind spot for drivers, and wants to see changes made.

"There is a lot of traffic now, I think,” Valdez said. “It's time for the city to (do) something with that spot right now. Put up some pedestrian crosswalks and some speed bumps.”
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Detectives are investigating why it took about six hours for the boy's parents to be located after he was hit.

The City of Orlando issued a statement about the crash.

"As is City practice, the City's Transportation Engineering Division will review all details of the incident and work with the OPD traffic investigator to thoroughly evaluate the area where this incident occurred."

Anyone with concerns about area traffic can email the Orlando Transportation Engineering Department at traffic.studies@cityoforlando.net.

 


About the Author:

Troy graduated from California State University Northridge with a Bachelor's Degree in Communication. He has reported on Mexican drug cartel violence on the El Paso/ Juarez border, nuclear testing facilities at the Idaho National Laboratory and severe Winter weather in Michigan.

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