Mom of boy injured in hit-and-run urges driver to turn himself in

MARTINEZ, Calif. - A 7-year-old Martinez boy is recovering at the hospital after he was struck by a large van. The driver did not stop.

Friday, his mother, Amanda Jones spoke about his recovery. “He’s doing remarkably well under the circumstances,” she said.

Jones is urging the hit-and-run to driver to come forward. “All he had to was stop,” she said. “It was an accident. His response was tragic."

7-year-old Owen Jones was badly injured outside his Martinez home Thursday afternoon. He was riding his scooter, when a van ran him over. The collision happened just before 4 p.m. on Vine Avenue.

Neighbor Brandi Pixton just arrived at her house when it happened. “All of sudden this van just flew down the street and I turned and saw the boy was screaming on the ground,” said Pixton.

Pixton shared video from a security camera that captured the impact. The boy is seen riding his scooter down a driveway. He falls in the road and is hit. Pixton can’t understand why the driver would not stop. “I think if you run over a squirrel you know you hit something. So to run over a child's full body no, there's no way you don't know,” said Pixton.

The California Highway Patrol is investigating. They’re asking for the public’s help tracking down the driver.

”The negligent act of leaving the scene is the most egregious part,” said Officer Brandon Correia. “Not even checking on a 7-year-old who had major injuries.”

The driver was possibly wearing a yellow or lime green vest. The van may front-end damage from the impact. “We have a lot of pictures and video evidence and things we are following up on right now, to find out if this exact white box truck is indeed the suspect vehicle is, which we believe it is, and who the driver of the vehicle is and maybe the responsible company,” said Correia.

Owen was airlifted to Children’s Hospital Oakland. He had surgery on his leg and suffered a concussion but is expected to recover.

”I'm thankful for the Martinez community for support the concern and prayers,” said Jones. “It's overwhelming as a parent and mother to have so many people reach out to you that don’t' even know you to help.”