35 year old Anna Drago of Bosier City, LA, watches from her car as emergency personnel tend to the child she accidentally struck. The damage to the front end is visible. The shattered spot on the windshield is where the child's head impacted.
13 Year Old Struck by Car on US-59, NEW WILLARD, March 18, 2012 - Shortly after 10 am on March 18, 2012, a red 2005 Toyota Matrix driven by Anna Drago, 35 of Bosier City, Louisiana, was north-bound on US-59. Drago suddenly slammed on her brakes trying to avoid a 13 year old Cypress boy who was visiting with his grandmother in New Willard. The child chased a ball across the north-bound lanes of US-59 and retrieved the ball from the median. As he was running back across to his grandmother's house, he failed to notice Drago's oncoming vehicle. Around 60 ft. of skid marks on the pavement show that Drago tried to stop. Drago's vehicle impacted the child and skidded onto the right shoulder of 59. Americare Ambulance Service was dispatched to the scene along with the Livingston Volunteer Fire Department, Deputies from the Polk County Sheriff's Office and Troopers Donny Akers and Joe Cole with the Texas Highway Patrol. Family members and onlookers gathered as the child laid screaming in the road as he was being tended to by emergency personnel. A PHi Air Medical Helicopter was summoned and landed in the middle of the north-bound lanes and transported to the child to Hermann Hospital in Houston. The child suffered incapacitating injuries including a head injury when his head impacted and shattered the front windshield of Drago's car. All north-bound traffic was blocked during investigation and cleanup. The scene was cleared by 11:30 am.
Emergency personnel work on the 13 year old boy from Cypress.
Troopers: Donny Akers (right) and Joe Cole. Akers is the investigating officer.
The child is rolled to a waiting PHi Air Medical helicopter to be flown to Hermann Hospital in Houston.
PHi Air Medical lifts of for Houston from the north-bound lanes of US-59.
Long skid marks in the pavement show where Anna Drago tried to stop.
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