Maddexx George is recovering from being hit while riding his scooter in Port Alberni, an incident where he was left on the sidewalk after a truck fled without stopping, according to witness reports.
On Aug. 14 at 6:15pm the 15-year-old was riding his scooter up a Roger Street sidewalk across from the Best Western Barclay Hotel, when a brown pickup truck being driven by what George describes as an older man came out of the alleyway, onto the sidewalk and struck him. The vehicle immediately took off heading down Roger Street and turned right onto Gertrude.
Passersby Michelle Campbell, Francis Campbell and Robert Stanley witnessed the whole event while coming up Roger Street. They and many other drivers were honking their horns at the truck as he sped away.
Robert Stanley recalls seeing the truck also hit the curb while turning onto Gertrude St.
“The truck didn’t even stop, just went around him and took off,” said Stanley. “Maddexx was on the ground for many minutes before he was able to get up.”
Michelle Campbell, who knows George, stopped to help, offering him a ride and to contact George’s mother Leticia Charleson.
George told Ha-Shilth-Sa he sustained some injuries, such as a scrape on his right hand, a large scrape on his left elbow and arm, a hyper-extended left leg and has a lot of muscle soreness. He said he was hit by the front of the truck, and that the driver didn’t say anything, just looked at him and drove away as Maddexx was on the ground.
“Fortunately he is only banged up a little and he is doing ok,” wrote the teen’s mother in a Facebook post.
Charleson is also asking for help from the public, as they are looking for anyone who saw the incident and any surveillance footage that may be available. The RCMP were contacted, and a file has been opened by Const. Bruce, #2024-8029. The Port Alberni RCMP can be reached at 250-723-2424.
Charleson also urged parents to remind their kids to be cautious of careless drivers, things could have been a lot worse for her family, she said.
