A 3-year-old boy who ran into oncoming traffic suffered serious injuries when a landscaping truck hit him in Deer Park Wednesday afternoon, police say.
Marco Hernandez-Pineda pulled away from his mother, Bessy Pineda, just south of Grand Boulevard around noon and ran into Deer Park Avenue, according to authorities.
The truck driver, 39-year-old Jose Flores of Bay Shore, stopped and remained at the scene, police say. A witness rushed the boy and his mother to a nearby Stat-Health, where a nurse called 911.
A fire department rescue team rushed Marco to Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center in West Islip, and he was later transferred to Stony Brook University Hospital, where he remains in serious condition.
Flores and four passengers in the truck were not injured.
Some Deer Park residents who spoke with News 12 say the intersection is dangerous for pedestrians and notorious for speeding cars.
"Just crossing the street is an athletic struggle," says Carol McLaughlin.