KANSAS CITY, Kan. — The little boy who was hit by a SUV while crossing the street near 3rd and Troup on Wednesday is expected to survive.
The staff at Connecting for Good, a computer center on the block, said the area is dangerous.
"A lot of kids across the street — we typically get about 30 of those kids in here everyday," said Rick Deane, co-founder of Connecting for Good.
The boy was one of those who visited the computer center. It's a popular after-school spot for kids and adults who want to use the internet. Many live at the Juniper Gardens apartments across the street.
The 7-year-old boy and his 8-year-old brother left the computer center around 4 p.m. and were crossing the street to their grandma's apartment when police said a gold SUV hit the boy.
Staff at Connecting for Good said his brother came running in the building, shocked, saying over and over his brother had been hit. They had to make sure the kids who were in the center at the time did not go outside.
The boy was rushed to Children's Mercy in critical condition. On Thursday police said he was "stable and improving."
Staff at the computer center told 41 Action News the boy may have suffered brain injuries.
It’s an incident they fear could happen again with the speeding cars that pass by daily.
"The street out here is oftentimes referred to as a racetrack 'cause people generally don't pay attention to the speed limit down here," Deane said. "We really try hard to make this place a safe place."
Police haven't said if this incident is speed-related, but they did confirm it appears to be an accident.
Connecting for Good is asking the city to make some changes, like putting in a speed bump and a crosswalk. They are also reaching out to the police department's community policing unit to help talk to the kids about safety.
Commissioners Melissa Bynum and Harold Johnson said they have reached out to the public works department to look into a traffic study and implementing safety upgrades.
In the meantime, Connecting for Good is asking people to volunteer as cross guards from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays.
"At the very least when these kids are leaving here we can escort them across the street to make sure they are safe," Deane said.
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