EASTPOINTE, Mich. (WXYZ) — Eastpointe police are investigating a hit-and-run that left a 17-year-old severely injured after being hit while riding his bike.
The incident occurred at the intersection of Veronica and Hayes avenues when a driver in a dark-colored pickup truck towing what appeared to be a landscape trailer hit Miles Rice and then fled the scene.
Watch Jolie Sherman's video report below:
"As I got to this corner, the guy stopped because it's a yield sign, and he looked down on his phone, so I decided to hurry up and get across, and as I got across, he decided to take off and hit me," Rice said.
Rice suffered a fractured wrist and multiple cuts on his body from the collision.
"My leg was in between the bike and the front bumper and I had to pull my leg out, and then I had to pull the bike out from under it, and his front bumper kind of fell apart," Rice said.
Instead of helping the injured teen, Rice says the driver became aggressive before driving away.
"He rolled down his window and started screaming at me, saying it was my fault, saying I should have stopped and slowed down," Rice said.
Jerrica Rice, Miles' mother, expressed her distress about the driver's actions.
"It upset me, made me furious. I don't understand how people can do that to a child, regardless of if they were in the right or wrong, how can you leave a child hurt and injured in the street?" she said.
Eastpointe police are actively investigating the incident and working to identify the driver.
"(Regardless) if the child was at fault or the driver was at fault, both should wait for police arrival. Somebody fleeing the scene shows some kind of guilt, or there's a reason they don't want to wait, apparently," police said.
Residents in the neighborhood have voiced concerns about the intersection where the incident occurred, describing it as dangerous with vehicles frequently driving over the speed limit.
"We would like to see a stop sign, just for the safety of our children," said Kissy Lewis, an Eastpointe resident.
Another local resident, Donald Brant, shared similar concerns about the intersection.
"There's a lot of traffic here for the party store, and it should be a four-way stop, and they constantly run through it, and I've seen numerous accidents," Brant said.
Police are asking anyone with information about the hit-and-run to contact the Eastpointe Police Department.
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