Witness describes 'heartbreaking' aftermath after 3 Antioch children hit by speeding car

Family says if son with most severe injuries survives, he will likely be paralyzed from neck down for the rest of his life

ByAnser Hassan KGO logo

Monday, September 19, 2022

Witness on 'heartbreaking' aftermath after Antioch children hit by car

The family says if the son with most severe injuries is able to survive, he will likely be paralyzed from the neck down and need a ventilator for the rest of his life.

ANTIOCH, Calif. (KGO) -- Three 12-year-old children are still in the hospital after they were hit by a speeding car while walking home from school on Friday.

It happened at the intersection of Sycamore Drive and Manzinta Way in a residential neighborhood in Antioch.

The family says if the son with most severe injuries is able to survive, he will likely be paralyzed from the neck down and need a ventilator for the rest of his life. A GoFundMe campaign was set up to help the family with medical costs.

Antioch police says the driver of a Chevrolet Impala, who was speeding, hit a Mercury Mystique that was waiting to make a left turn onto Manzinita.

Three students walking home from school were seriously injured after being hit by a car in Antioch Friday afternoon, according to police.

Witnesses say, after being hit, the Mystique was pushed into the intersection, as the speeding Impala hit the three kids and ended up in a yard.

"From our house in the back, we could hear the father crying over his babies. It was really heartbreaking," explains a young woman who didn't want to be identified. She says she and her husband were one of the first on scene to try and help.

"We saw the oldest son, I believe. He had injuries to his head. He was lodged inside the bushes," she explains.

At least four people including a child were taken to area hospitals after a car crashed through a Trader Joe's store in unincorporated Castro Valley.

Before emergency crews could get there, she says neighbors tried to help pull out the second boy.

"Between the car and the bushes, they were trying to help him from under there. (Someone) was able to help pull him out. By the time the police had come, they were trying to resuscitate him," she says.

When the parents arrived on scene minutes later, they asked about their missing daughter. The way the daughter was hit, she was thrown into bushes on the side of the house. They only piece of evidence of her was when her shoe was spotted.

"(My husband) saw a shoe in the bush and he asked whose shoe it was. And that's when they identified that the daughter was lodged in the side of the bushes," she says.

The family declined interviews, but one aunt told ABC7 News that they are a very close-knit family, who always spend birthdays and holidays together.

A small make-shift memorial made up of balloons and posters marks the intersection. Some the families who live in the area are already talking about petitioning the City of Antioch to do more to help control speeding cars.

"I think it's really unfortunate they were minding their own business. And this unfortunate situation happened. I'm really praying for them," she says.