Toddler Hit by Van in Driveway of His Home
OXNARD — A toddler was in serious condition Saturday night at a Santa Barbara hospital after he was run over by a van at his parents’ house in the Silver Strand Beach area of Oxnard, authorities said.
The driver of the van reportedly was the 22-month-old boy’s father, fire officials said.
The accident happened about 2 p.m. in the driveway of a home in the 100 block of Oxnard Avenue.
“The father and a friend were backing out of the house and didn’t realize the boy had come out,†said Capt. Ken VanWig of the Port Hueneme Federal Fire Department.
The boy was identified by a California Highway Patrol officer as Austin J. Hewitt.
“According to the injuries, the vehicle actually went over him,†VanWig said.
“When we found him he was in his mother’s arms,†said Steve Carroll, paramedic supervisor with Gold Coast Ambulance.
A spokeswoman at St. John’s Regional Medical Center in Oxnard said Austin had bruised lungs and a broken pelvis. His condition was serious, she said.
After being treated at the hospital in Oxnard, he was transferred to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, the spokeswoman said.
The CHP was investigating the incident Saturday night. Officers had not released the name of anyone else involved.
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