Local juvenile riding bicycle struck by vehicle Saturday

By Benjamin Cox on October 1, 2018 at 11:41am

A local boy apparently remains hospitalized after being hit by a car while riding his bicycle Saturday evening.

According to a press release from the Jacksonville Police Department, the accident happened at approximately 8 p.m. Saturday on East Oak Street near Hackett Avenue.

According to the JPD, 24 year old Jabril Wali-Uddin was traveling westbound on East Oak Street at the time. According to Jacksonville Police Lieutenant Chris Johnson, another person along the side of the roadway caused Wali-Uddin to veer into the path of and strike the 14 year old male bicyclist.

“According to the driver of the vehicle that struck the juvenile, he saw a pedestrian walking along the roadway and merged to the middle of the roadway but did not see the boy on the bicycle that was in front of the vehicle.”

The 14-year old juvenile was initially transported to Passavant Area Hospital in Jacksonville by ambulance, then was transferred to St. John’s Hospital in Springfield. The name of the 14-year old male and the extent of the juvenile’s injuries are still unknown at this time. However according to the Jacksonville Police Department, the juvenile had been thrown from the bicycle as a result of the accident and, when emergency personnel and police arrived at the scene, the bicyclist apparently had not regained consciousness.

According to Jacksonville Police Lieutenant David Langdon, the boy was not wearing a helmet at the time of the incident, and there were no lights or reflective materials attached to the bicycle.

There were no citations issued in regards to this incident, which is still currently under investigation at this time.