By Kelsey Durham
The 2-year-old boy who was hit by a car on an Auburndale street Monday afternoon is expected to make a full recovery, the principal of his brother’s school said.
Police said the boy was hit by a blue 2011 Mitsubishi Outlander just before 2:30 p.m. Monday after he ran into the street while walking in front of a home on 196th Street, just north of Northern Boulevard. Police and paramedics responded to find the boy lying in the street with serious head injuries and took him to Long Island Jewish Hospital, according to the NYPD.
It was later confirmed that the toddler is the brother of a kindergarten student at William Spyropoulos Greek-American School, at 43-15 196th St., which was just letting out for the day around the time of the accident. Athena Kromidas, principal of William Spyropoulos, said she spoke to the boy’s mother the day after the accident occurred and was told he is expected to make a full recovery.
“He’s doing well,” she said. “He is going to stay in the hospital another couple of days, but everything is fine.”
Witnesses who were in the area at the time of the accident said the boy appeared to be walking with his mother and a younger child in a stroller when the accident occurred.
Robin Stuelpner, who lives across the street from where it took place, said she did not hear any sounds from the impact, but heard a woman scream and ran to call 911 after going outside to see what had happened.
“I just heard her screaming — that’s what drew my attention,” Stuelpner said.
Stuelpner said she saw who she believed was the driver of the Mitsubishi remain at the scene and help tend to the boy until EMS workers came. She said the boy was conscious and described the 911 operator instructing her to tell those surrounding him to be sure not to move him until help arrived.
Employees of Barbershop Steve 3000, at the corner of 196th Street and Northern Boulevard, described seeing a child lying in the street and screaming for his mother after the accident happened.
“I saw blood all over his face and he just kept screaming, ‘Mommy,’” said Vinny Davidod. “They put one of those full body casts on him. They were there for a while.”
Davidod also said he saw the woman who appeared to be the boy’s mother walking with another child in a stroller, but said he had never seen the children or the mother in the neighborhood before.
The driver of the vehicle remained on the scene after the accident, police said, and the NYPD said later in the week that the driver was not expected to be charged.
Reach reporter Kelsey Durham at 718-260-4573 or by e-mail at kdurham@cnglocal.com.
