Boy struck by Blazer near fairgrounds
A teen-ager was hit by a vehicle Tuesday evening on Fairgrounds Road seconds after he stepped out of his mother’s vehicle to cross the street.
The victim, Ryan Blake Hitchcock, 14, was taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville for treatment of severe leg injuries shortly after the accident.
According to sheriff’s department reports, Hitchcock exited his mother’s vehicle on Fairgrounds Road, just east of the ballfields near the entrance to the fairgrounds, to get into another vehicle. After getting out, the teen reportedly crossed behind his mother’s car and started to cross the road. However, in doing so he entered the path of a Chevy Blazer driven by Sheila Boyd, who was traveling in the oncoming lane. Hitchcock was hit by the front left corner of the Blazer, with the main impact coming to his knees.
Deputy Ramsey Womack said the teen apparently darted in front of the car, with neither he nor the driver of the car seeing one another until it was too late. Womack also said weather was likely a factor since there were torrential rains around 7 p.m. No charges are expected.