WIMAUMA, Fla. — The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office is looking for the driver of a vehicle who hit a child and then left the area.
The child has been identified as Caiden Bazell. You can donate to his Gofundme here.
Caiden's grandma Tracy Hoover had this to say:
“He was walking on the east side. The only thing my grandson can remember is he heard a loud car. That was it. According to an eyewitness that was on the scene, a vehicle approached, kind of swerved off the road, hit my grandson, stopped the vehicle, got out of the vehicle, checked, my grandson, according to the eyewitness, was crying for help twice before he passed out. And the person actually got back in the vehicle and sped away. I just don’t understand what kind of monster can do that.”
Deputies said around 7 a.m. on Thursday, the child's mother called 911 to report her 9-year-old son had been hit by a vehicle while waiting for the school bus in the 2400 block of West Lake Drive in Wimauma.
Caiden's mom took her son to a local hospital to be treated for head injuries.
Deputies recovered surveillance video that captured the boy walking along the roadway, toward the bus stop just before 6 a.m.
At some point, he was then hit by a dark-colored sedan on West Lake Drive, deputies said. The vehicle is seen seconds before the incident took place and, at this time, is considered a vehicle of interest.
"We are urging anyone who may have witnessed this incident, or who may recognize the vehicle in question, to please come forward," said Sheriff Chad Chronister. "No tip is too small and may help our detectives identify the driver at fault. While we investigate this crash, we want to remind drivers to remain alert, at all times, of their surroundings. With school back in session, children are walking to school or bus stops, and it is imperative that drivers remain focused on the pedestrians around them."
Anyone with any information on the incident is asked to contact the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office at (813) 247-8200.
