Boy struck by car, dragged 50 feet in Merced, police say

At least two pedestrians, including a 9-year-old boy, were struck by cars near R Street on the first rainy day of the winter in Merced on Thursday, according to police.

About 3:11 p.m. police received reports of a child hit by a car on R Street near Loughborough Drive, officers said.

The boy jumped off of the sidewalk, apparently to avoid the flooded gutter, and was struck by a 2002 Toyota Camry turning right onto R Street, police said. The car, driven by Richard Petrick, 84, of Merced, dragged the boy more than 50 feet before coming to a stop, according to Lt. Jay Struble.

The boy, whose name has not been released, was still pinned under the car when rescue crews arrived, police said. Merced City Fire Department crews removed the boy from under the car, police said, and he was taken to Valley Children’s Hospital.

The extent of the boy’s injuries remains unclear, according to police.

Neither drugs nor alcohol were a factor in the collision, and the driver cooperated with police, officers said. The collision investigation is ongoing.

In a separate collision, a man crossing 14th Street at around 2:30 p.m. was hit by a driver turning left from R Street, police said. The man suffered minor injuries and was taken to Mercy Medical Center.

No further information on the pedestrian or the man driving the car was immediately available.

“The rain just started coming out,” Sgt. Dan Dabney told the Sun-Star. “It causes all sorts of havoc out here in the city”

This story was originally published November 16, 2017 at 4:51 PM with the headline "Boy struck by car, dragged 50 feet in Merced, police say."