A 6-year-old child was hit by the driver of a Parks Department van yesterday afternoon inside Morningside Park.
According to police, the incident occurred just after 4 p.m. as the van traveled south along a path near the park's entrance at West 113th Street and Manhattan Avenue. Joram Jimenez was riding his scooter heading westbound when he fell to the ground. The driver then hit his scooter and subsequently ran over his leg, crushing it. He was taken to Harlem Hospital in serious condition.
Police attribute the collision to a blind spot caused by adjacent playground equipment, though witnesses told the Daily News that the van first knocked Joram to the ground before running him over.
“He was trying to stand up but he couldn’t. He was bleeding from both legs,” one witness told the tabloid.
The driver remained on the scene and the crash is being investigated. Police have not determined how quickly the van was traveling.
Witnesses were appalled that a vehicle should be driving so recklessly in a space where children are known to play freely.
"This feels like an unsafe place when you have to worry about your kids getting hit inside the park," 26-year-old Jessica Williams told DNAinfo.
