A juvenile pedestrian was airlifted to Rady Children's Hospital after he was hit by a car that fled the scene in Vista Tuesday afternoon.
The child was hit on Mar Vista Drive, east of Buena Vista Drive, at around 4:45 p.m., according to the San Diego County Sheriff's Department.
SDSO Sergeant Gonzalez reported the 12-year-old child was hit by one vehicle which fled the scene. Reports initially said two vehicles hit the child.
Investigators are searching for a 2019-2020 white Toyota sedan in connection with the hit-and-run, according to the SDSO. The sedan should have damage to the right mirror as well as possible front-end damage.
The North County Fire Protection District confirmed the child was airlifted to Rady Children's Hospital. The air ambulance landed at the children's hospital just after 5:30 p.m.
SDSO Lt. Greenwald confirmed at 6 p.m. the child's injuries were not severe, and said he was transported for precautionary reasons only.
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"We heard a sound that sounded like a crash," said a woman who witnessed what happened after the crash, but didn’t want to be identified.
The witness said she's seen the boy walking in the area, but didn’t know his name.
“It breaks my heart completely to know that, not even for a kid, that they, you know, didn’t stop. Whether it was an accident, it was a human being. It’s a life," she said.
Cell phone video shows deputies sifting through the bushes trying to rescue the 12-year-old boy after he was thrown into them by the force of the collision.
Rachel Munoz, who lives off Mar Vista Drive, said she and other neighbors are concerned for safety of kids in the neighborhood because there are no sidewalks on the street and drivers don't follow the rules of the road.
"The speed limit is 35 but people easily go 65," Munoz said.
As a mother of four, Munoz hopes the accident gets the attention of county leaders.
"Speed bumps would be really nice. It would deter those people who know they can go straight really fast and there's nothing there," Munoz said.
