'You left me on the ground': Boy knocked to ground after vehicle speeds through intersection in Niagara
Police are still searching for the driver of a vehicle that sped through a stop sign in Niagara Region last week and hit a bike being ridden by an 11-year-old child, knocking him to the ground before leaving the scene.
The incident occurred around 2 p.m. on June 11, near Confederation Avenue and Richmond Street in the City of Thorold.
Niagara Regional Police posted the video to social media Thursday afternoon.
In what appears to be dashboard footage from another vehicle, a car speeds through a stop sign at a residential four-way intersection as a child is biking through the crosswalk.
The vehicle appears to clip the bike, hitting its front wheel while it drives by. The child falls off the bike and tumbles towards the side of the road.
The Grade 6 student, identified by his mother as Nik Couture, sustained scratches and bruises to his arms and legs, but was otherwise physically unharmed. He told CTV News Toronto that a university student and some neighbours came to help him and gave him a cell phone to call his mom.
“I was telling her, I ran over to her and I hugged her and I was bawling my eyes out. I was crying and I got hit by a car and the guy didn’t stop.”
The boy’s mother was around the corner driving home from a friend’s house when she received the call. She said that when she arrived, her son’s bike was still in the middle of the road.
“You hit a child or anybody in that matter you stop. You make sure they are okay. You bring them home. You call the police. You be a human. You don’t just drive off,” Rieanna Couture said, adding that when she saw video of the incident, she “broke down and started crying.”
“Watching that video and my son telling me what happened are two different things. You know, kids always dramatize the story right, but watching that video, having that video of your child being struck by a car is a whole new level.”
Nik Couture said that while he understands if the car accidentally hit his bike, the driver should have stopped to help him.
“I get it if you accidentally hit my bike and help me up and try to call my mom and maybe walk me home, but you left me on the ground,” he said.
Nik Couture, 11, and his mother Rieanna Couture are seen in this photograph taken on June 18, 2021. (John Musselman/CTV News Toronto)
The boy said the steering on his bike is damaged, but he is just happy he was able to go home that day and hug his mom.
With files from CTV News Toronto's John Musselman
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
B.C. tenants evicted for landlord's use after refusing large rent increase to take over neighbouring suite
Ashley Dickey and her mother rented part of the same Coquitlam duplex in three different decades under three different landlords.
Mountain guide dies after falling into a crevasse in Banff National Park
A man who fell into a crevasse while leading a backcountry ski group deep in the Canadian Rockies has died.
Expert warns of food consumption habits amid rising prices
A new survey by Dalhousie University's Agri-Food Analytics Lab asked Canadians about their food consumption habits amid rising prices.
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment which has been banned at Queen’s Park.
Charlie Woods, son of Tiger, shoots 81 in U.S. Open qualifier
Charlie Woods failed to advance in a U.S. Open local qualifying event Thursday, shooting a 9-over 81 at Legacy Golf & Tennis Club.
Ex-tabloid publisher testifies he scooped up possibly damaging tales to shield his old friend Trump
As Donald Trump was running for president in 2016, his old friend at the National Enquirer was scooping up potentially damaging stories about the candidate and paying out tens of thousands of dollars to keep them from the public eye.
Here's why provinces aren't following Saskatchewan's lead on the carbon tax home heating fight
After Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the federal government would still send Canada Carbon Rebate cheques to Saskatchewan residents, despite Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe's decision to stop collecting the carbon tax on natural gas or home heating, questions were raised about whether other provinces would follow suit. CTV News reached out across the country and here's what we found out.
Montreal actress calls Weinstein ruling 'discouraging' but not surprising
A Montreal actress, who has previously detailed incidents she had with disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, says a New York Court of Appeals decision overturning his 2020 rape conviction is 'discouraging' but not surprising.
Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye make it four NFL drafts with quarterbacks going 1-3
Caleb Williams is heading to the Windy City, aiming to become the franchise quarterback Chicago has sought for decades.