An El Cajon boy struck by an SUV while trying to cross a busy intersection can thank his bicycle helmet he survived.
Keith Rube Norton was riding his bike to school when he was hit June 3 in the crosswalk at East Madison and East Main Streets.
The 9-year-old ended up pinned under the vehicle.
Deep scrapes and tire tracks on the Norton's helmet show just how bad things could have been if he hadn't been wearing one.
“If I never had my helmet on I could have been dead right now," he said.
Norton spoke about the experience outside his school, Madison Avenue Elementary School on Tuesday.
"It was my turn to go, I looked [the driver] dead in the eyes, and she kept on going,” he said. “I tried to dodge her a little and I think my tire hit the car and it got stuck under it."
"I think I woke up under the car and I was stuck and my helmet was stuck,” said Norton.
The El Cajon police officers and firefighters who helped rescue Norton presented him with a brand new bike and helmet.
Officers used the event to remind Norton’s classmates to wear a helmet at all times with the chinstrap fastened.
