Alyssa Ridenour
reporter@greenepublishing.com
At approximately 12:45 p.m. on Wednesday, March 10, law enforcement and paramedics were dispatched in response to a two-year-old who had been hit by a 1995 Ford pickup truck, driven by Wayne Huggins. The incident occurred at the intersection of SW Pinckney Street and SW Paramore Avenue.
According to an official Madison Police Department (MPD) report, the toddler was immediately transported to Madison County Memorial Hospital (MCMH) by his mother. Sergeant J. Smith of MPD remained on scene to make contact with Huggins, while Patrolman R. Flanders went to MCMH to make contact with the toddler and his mother.
While speaking with the mother, Flanders was informed that the family had been sitting in the living room with the toddler when he suddenly ran out the open door, entering the roadway and crossing into the path of Huggins' vehicle. The child's mother and aunt both chased after him but were unsuccessful in reaching him before he went into the road.
Huggins was traveling at approximately 15 miles per hour, and upon seeing the child, he slammed onto his breaks. He was almost at a complete stop but still made contact with the toddler's head, knocking him to the ground. The child sustained abrasions and lacerations to the forehead, right cheek, right eye, nose and lip. At this point, the mother picked him up and immediately took him to MCMH for medical attention.
Sgt. Smith’s report states he did not see any skid marks from braking, which indicated that Huggins was not speeding and was in compliance with the speed limit.
According to medical analysis, the toddler's injuries were non-incapacitating. He was in stable condition, and was no longer a trauma alert. He was then transported to Shand's Pediatric Emergency Department, in Gainesville via Madison County Fire Rescue for further testing and observation. Due to the incident being unintentional, with no infractions committed at the time of the accident, Huggins did not receive any citations.