‘That’s really mean of them’: 8-year-old says SUV driver ‘looked at me’ then sped away after running him over

Fort Worth police are searching for the driver of a black SUV who struck and ran over an 8-year-old boy while he was riding his bicycle, then fled the scene after briefly checking on the injured child. The incident occurred around 8 p.m. on Friday evening at the Mercantile Square apartment complex in North Fort Worth, Texas.

Third-grader Liam Park was playing with friends when the accident happened. He told local news outlet Fox 4 Dallas that he went under the vehicle and briefly lost his vision after being struck. Witnesses reported that after hitting the child, the driver got out of the SUV, looked at Park lying on the ground, then returned to the vehicle and drove away without offering help or calling for assistance.

“That’s really mean of them to just drive away and not check on me, and now I have skin injuries, and I’m hurt, and they deserve to get arrested,” Park said about the driver’s actions. He added that he felt the driver should have stayed to help rather than fleeing the scene. The young boy suffered severe road rash and abrasions across his face and body but miraculously avoided any broken bones.

Investigation underway as family seeks answers

Park’s mother, Baylea Christiansen, learned about the accident when her son’s friends ran to their home to alert her. “I had his friends running in our front door telling me he was hit by a car,” she told reporters. The mother expressed her anger and disbelief that someone would look at an injured child and simply leave them in the street.

The boy was immediately taken to the hospital where doctors treated his injuries. While his physical wounds are expected to heal, the family says the incident has left him traumatized and struggling with sleeping difficulties. Christiansen has started going door to door in the neighborhood, asking neighbors if they have any information that could help identify the driver.

Fort Worth police have confirmed that their Traffic Investigation Unit has taken over the case. However, authorities say they have minimal information about the driver or the specific details of holiday-related crime cases that sometimes increase during certain times of year. The department is urging anyone with information about the black SUV or its driver to come forward.

The family has also established a GoFundMe page to help with medical expenses and recovery costs. Park’s father, Kyle, told local media that watching his son suffer has been devastating for the family. “Every time I look at him, I mean, I put myself in his shoes and it hurts. It hurts every time,” he said.