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OGDEN — After 8 year-old Jaxon Gardner was struck by a car Wednesday night, several witnesses rushed to his aid.
"All of a sudden we just all ran out," Shai Miguel said. "My whole family and I just ran out."
Miguel said after she heard a loud screeching sound her father called 911 while her mother ran up to the street to a nearby fire station.
"He was just lying on the ground," Miguel said. "That really scared me because I thought he was gone."
Ogden police officers said Gardner was walking across Harrison Boulevard with a 13-year-old boy when he was hit. The older boy was not hit or injured.
The car's driver, a 27-year-old woman, was headed north on Harrison Boulevard at the time of the accident.
While investigators believe it was only an accident and did not see any signs of distracted or impaired driving, they are still waiting on a routine toxicology screening.
"It's very devastating for something like this to happen," resident Amber Pinkman said.
Pinkman said her children often play with Gardner, and she believes drivers come through the intersection of Harrison Boulevard and 35th Street too fast.
"It's very dangerous," Pinkman said. "I got three girls and a 2-month-old baby who almost got hit, you know, walking across the street with the stroller."
Several other neighbors agreed.
"A lot of people use that crosswalk," Gordon Dunn said. "I just think they should take a look at that intersection, maybe put in some of those flashing lights."
Gardner was still in critical condition Thursday night, but his mother said he has stabilized. Some neighbors inside the small apartment complex where he lives said they are praying for him.
"It's very sad," Pinkman said. "I'm very heartbroken about the situation and I know that he will be OK."
The accident is the second serious auto-pedestrian incident in two days, police said, reminding drivers to be cautious around intersections, especially at night.
Contributing: McKenzie Romero
