A young child sustained serious injuries after being struck by a vehicle in Calgary's Castleridge neighborhood on Wednesday afternoon. The incident occurred near the intersection of Castleridge Drive N.E. and Castlepark Road N.E. shortly before 4:30 p.m.
According to police, the child, estimated to be 3 or 4 years old, was transported to the Alberta Children's Hospital in serious but stable condition. Despite the severity of the injuries, the child remained conscious at the scene.
Police believe the child left the family home on Castleridge Drive without the parents' knowledge and ran into the street. The driver of the vehicle remained at the scene and is not facing charges as authorities do not suspect intoxication or speed were factors in the collision.
Harpreet Badesha, who was driving behind the vehicle involved, described the incident. "We were going about 35 kilometers per hour right behind him and I just heard a loud thud," Badesha said. "The next second, the truck started slamming its brakes, and the kid rolled off the front fender. Then I just ran outside and went to support the child."
A woman believed to be a passenger in the truck, who was reportedly a nurse, also rushed to assist the child. The child's mother arrived shortly after, possibly having been just outside or at the door when the incident occurred. Badesha noted that the driver immediately exited the vehicle and came to check on the child, but Badesha instructed him to call 911.
The nurse informed Badesha that the child appeared suddenly from nowhere. Emergency services including fire trucks and EMS arrived within minutes and attended to the child, who had sustained multiple injuries. Badesha observed bleeding from the mouth and nose, with the nose appearing torn from the side and the jaw possibly dislocated. "A lot of blood was coming out," he recalled. "I felt around the head and spine area, didn't feel like any cuts or fluids coming out. His left arm was bent the other way completely."
Initially, the child's breathing slowed, but he then began crying and moving around, which Badesha described as a positive sign. "Overall, he seems like a strong kid," Badesha said.
