Two young children, who were chasing after a dog near their Santa Nella home, were struck by a car and left hospitalized in serious but stable condition last week, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Shannon Stiers, spokesman for the CHP Los Banos Office, said a 2-year-old and a 5-year-old were playing in the driveway of their home on South Venus Street in Santa Nella at approximately 6 p.m. on March 17.
The children subsequently saw a neighborhood dog walking down the street and decided to chase it, Stiers said. They were hit by a 2004 Crown Victoria driven by a 36-year-old Gustine man.
After the crash, the driver left the scene of the accident and contacted the CHP in a parking lot a mile down the road. Stiers said the Gustine man did not stop because the children’s father was irate and threatening him.
Stiers said a parent took the children to Memorial Hospital in Los Banos. He said they were then taken to Valley Children’s Hospital in Madera to be treated for serious injuries.
Stiers said the most recent update he received labeled the children as being in serious but stable condition. Neither alcohol nor drugs was a factor in the crash, according to the CHP. The driver was not arrested.
