WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) – 10-year-old Stefan Davis says he rides his bike almost every day. He never thought one of those bike rides would end with a trip to the hospital.
However, that’s exactly what happened last Thursday, May 22, around 4 p.m.. Stefan said the bike ride around his neighborhood, Sunset Park, started like any other.
“I was just riding, there was this intersection and then a car came around,” Stefan said. “It was going slow enough where I had enough clearance, and then it started to kind of speed up. I knew I had enough clearance though and then they sped up a lot more and I got hit.”
Stefan was knocked to the ground on Adams Street. The driver, meanwhile, kept driving.
“I was kind of in shock where my body kind of numbed itself, so I didn’t really feel as much pain,” Stefan said. “I just started screaming and this lady came out and she said, ‘Oh my god, are you okay?’ And I started crying because I was happy to be alive.”
Stefan’s neighbor called the police. Wilmington Police and EMS showed up on the scene and helped Stefan get to the hospital.
That’s where his dad greeted him. Stefan Davis Sr. had been told his son had been in an accident but didn’t know the extent of his injuries yet.
“This is every parent’s worst nightmare,” Davis said. “To know your child’s been in an accident like that on their bike and not know how bad it is, not know if they’re okay, not know of anything and just have to find out as soon as you can get to them.”
Luckily, Stefan only had scrapes, bruises and a bit of road rash. Both father and son acknowledged it could have been a lot worse.
“It was just relief,” Davis said. “I’ve worried for 21 years about my kids getting hit by a car. Then it happened. I’m just glad it wasn’t any worse than it was.”
Now, Davis said he’s on a mission to make the Sunset Park neighborhood safer for all kids. He says the speeding problem has gotten out of control in recent years.
“I’ve seen it going on and this is just the straw that broke the camel’s back,” Davis said. “I’m actually going to be heading up a petition to get speed bumps put through the neighborhood. I’ve got to get a lot of signatures and go meet all of the neighbors basically and get 70% of the people on board.”
Davis’s neighbor, Shannon Lacombe, said she’d be more than happy to sign the petition.
“People will speed through here and I’ll just be standing there looking walking my dog and I’ll look like, ‘Seriously? Come on,’ Lacombe said. “Kids need to be kids and be outside and play. And this is a family neighborhood.”
Ultimately, Davis said a bit of human decency could at least be part of the solution. In particular, he said he wished the driver would have just stopped after realizing he hit a kid.
“Just how could you do that?” Davis said. “How could you drive away from a kid no less? Just go slow in neighborhoods and if you’re a driver in the neighborhood, keep an eye out for kids because they can come out of nowhere.”
Stefan said if he could talk to the driver who hit him, he would have similar questions.
“I’d be like, why’d you hit me, man? Why did you just hit me and run away? Like, how do you do that to a kid,” Stefan said.
A neighbor’s security camera caught the moment less than a split-second after Stefan got hit. It shows a gray sedan with a dent in the passenger side and a moon roof with a visor driving away.
If you recognize this vehicle or have any additional information about this incident, you are asked to contact WPD.
In the meantime, Stefan said he’s already back to riding his bike around the neighborhood, to McDonald’s and he’s excited to start riding to the pool soon. He says he’s ready for a summer of fun — hopefully without any other sideswipes.
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