11-year-old boy riding bicycle to school injured when hit by car on Central, police say

An 11-year-old boy was seriously injured Tuesday morning when he was hit by a car while riding his bicycle to school, Wichita police Lt. Joseph Kennedy said.

The accident happened around 7:39 a.m. at Central and Redbarn. The boy was rushed to the hospital by EMS.

The boy was headed north across Central when he was hit in the crosswalk by a man in his 40s, headed east on Central in a Ford Fusion. Jack Farmer, who saw the wreck while waiting to turn onto Central, said the “boy went a good 15, 20 feet in the air, landed on the ground pretty hard. I just hope the boy is all right.”

He said the crosswalk had lit up for the boy to cross and other vehicles were stopped. Kennedy said police are still investigating who had the right of way.

Farmer said he and a nurse, who was headed east on Central, ran up to check on the boy. The bicycle landed several feet from the crosswalk. He called 911 while the nurse tended to the boy. The boy was bleeding and taking shallow breaths, Farmer said.

“I pray that he’s all right,” he said.

The Ford Fusion had the passenger side of its window shattered. The driver was given a sobriety test, but drugs and alcohol do not appear to be factors, Kennedy said.

“It’s an unfortunate incident that happened,” he said, “have to wait for all the factors to come out and see what the causes are.”

The posted speed limit on that part of Central is 40 mph.