Police have seized a pickup truck they believe struck two boys as they crossed 208 Street on a crosswalk on their way to school on Thursday morning.
One boy was airlifted to B.C. Children's Hospital with serious injuries, including a broken femur and head injuries.
The vehicle, a Ford Ranger driven by a 50-year-old woman, will undergo mechanical inspection, said Cpl. Holly Marks of the Langley RCMP.
One witness was a woman named Anne. She told The Times that she was driving west on 48 Avenue to go to H.D. Stafford Middle School. Traveling behind a school bus, Anne saw the three children, two boys and a girl, crossing 208 Street on the crosswalk when a pickup truck going east on 48 Avenue (by Langley Evangelical Free Church), turned left into their path as they were about half way across the crosswalk.
The pickup "came around the corner and ploughed into them, and I saw the boy go flying," Anne said.
"It was horrible."
Thankfully, neither of Anne's children traveling with her to Stafford saw the accident.
A woman who had been driving the pickup jumped out and ran to the stricken boy, Anne said.
Between five and 10 people also ran to his side, she added.
The boy who was hit was a 13-year-old student on his way to Stafford with his sister and a friend.
The accident occurred at 8:22 a.m. and kept 208 Street closed for several hours.
A witness told police that when the boys were crossing the street the 'walk' signal was in their favour.
Langley City fire department Capt. Terry Alcombrack said it appears that the boy suffered a broken femur and head injuries. The lad was conscious and able to talk, Alcombrack added.
Gary McCuaig, principal of H.D. Stafford Middle School, confirmed that the children were on the way to his school two blocks away on Grade Crescent.
B.C. Ambulance paramedics who were the first to arrive at the scene tended to the injured boys, transporting the more seriously injured to an ambulance. The other boy, who Alcombrack said was thrown to his knees by the impact, was treated at the scene.
At approximately 9:12 a.m., an air ambulance lifted off from the parking lot of the church with the boy and his mother on board.
City firefighters had secured the parking lot, ensuring that there was no debris that could be hazardous from the helicopter's intense down-wash. They also cordoned off the parking lot, delaying some parents from dropping off their children for preschool.
Marks said that it's too soon to say if charges will be laid.
Police are asking anyone who saw the collision and who has not yet spoken to officers to call Langley RCMP at 604-532-3200.
