Car Hits, Kills Boy on Sidewalk

A 6-year-old boy was killed and three other children were seriously injured Friday night when a driver apparently lost control of his car and ran onto a Highland Park sidewalk where the group was playing, authorities said.

Authorities arrived on the scene to find the children lying on the ground and a group of adults attacking the driver. One witness described the unidentified driver as shouting, “I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” as the deceased boy’s father wailed.

The cause of the accident was under investigation, police said.

The boy, whose name was not released, had no vital signs when paramedics arrived and he was later pronounced dead at Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena, a hospital official said.

His 3-year-old sister remained in critical condition at Huntington late Friday, said Brian Humphrey, a spokesman for the Los Angeles Fire Department.

The two other victims were taken to County-USC Medical Center. A 5-year-old girl was in serious condition with head trauma, and a 4-year-old girl sustained unspecified injuries, Humphrey said. It was unknown if the girls were related to the other children.

Carlos Fields, 32, was in his home a few doors down from the accident at North Figueroa Street near Crestwood Way when he heard screeching tires and a high-pitched yell.

“I saw a bunch of people gathered, and I saw the bodies laying on the ground,” Fields said. “The father was fighting with the guy, he said, ‘You killed my kids! You killed my kids!’ and [the driver] said he was sorry, he was sorry.”

As the fracas moved closer to where the children lay, bystanders had to intervene to keep the fight away from the injured, witnesses said.

The driver did not require medical attention, Humphrey said. He said it was unclear why the car left the road. Witnesses told paramedics that the driver appeared to be speeding, Humphrey said.

Fields, a longtime resident of the quiet street, said neighbors who rushed to the scene are members of working families who watch one another’s children and say hello to residents as they walk by.

“For some reason, the kids always go out there to that corner,” Fields said. “My brother lived there and he used to tell my nephew not to play there, that one day someone was going to get hit by a car.”