A man driving a speeding van mowed down a 12-year-old boy crossing Bedford Avenue on Tuesday night, sending the boy to the hospital in critical condition.
Police were called to the scene near Avenue M at 7:20 pm, where they found the young victim clinging to life.
The driver stayed at the scene and even spoke to witnesses, who described him as visibly shaken from the accident.
“He told me he was the driver,” said Sherman Kahn, who lives a block away on E. 26th Street. “He was shook up.”
Kahn also described long skid marks leading up to the accident, which he estimated were between 40 and 50 feet long.
The driver received two summonses following the accident — for speeding and driving with an expired license.
The collision investigation squad was called to the scene to conduct a full investigation. The specialized highway patrol unit typically investigates accidents in which a person has been killed or appears likely to die.
Council candidate Chaim Deutsch said he spoke with the father of the victim the next morning, however, and was told that the boy’s condition has improved since Tuesday night.