When an SUV slammed into two 6-year-old boys, passersby ran to help. They quickly realized one boy was hit, but OK, while his twin brother was not.
"Initially I tried to help get the car off of him as fast as we can. Luckily, there was a guy who was able to get in between the car and the boy," said Justin Tigner, a Good Samaritan.
That guy was Ali Elsafy, the owner of Bistro Vida. He pointed out his injured arm and told us, "This is from trying to push the car back." He squeezed his body as far as he could in between the car and the boy. The little boy was weak, his body was crushed. Elsafy told us, "And I can see the arm just crushed and the kid was just in a lot of pain, and you could see it was kind of sad. You could see the look on his face."
But the SUV didn't budge. All the while, the car's driver, a 90-year-old man from Woodside, sat in the driver's seat in shock. The crowd moved the man out of the car and then pushed the car off the little boy.
Police tested the driver and found he wasn't under the influence. They call what happened a horrific accident.
"He was trying to pull out and had confused reverse and drive, and the brake pedal and the gas pedal, and instead of reversing backwards went forward," said Menlo Park Commander Dave Bertini.
However, those who helped save the boy call this an outrage. Especially since the little boy had just gone to Walgreens to buy some candy. They found the candy wrappers on the ground under the car.
"At that age, you should not be driving. I think the DMV needs to do something," said Elsafy.
The driver has not been charged with a crime.
Those who witnessed the crash or may have any more information are asked to contact the Menlo Park Police Department at (650) 330-6300.
