PHOENIX — A teenager is in critical condition after pushing children out of the way of an oncoming car on Wednesday night.
Phoenix police say they responded to a crash just after 8:00 p.m. at Roeser Road and Central Avenue.
Four kids were crossing eastbound on Roeser Road in a marked crosswalk when a 2011 Dodge Charger going westbound on Roeser Road failed to stop for them.
Investigators say a 16-year-old boy, who family identified as Francisco Javier Solis, saw the car coming and pushed the other children, ages 12, 11 and 4, out of the way. The teen was hit and critically injured. The other children were unharmed.
The boy was taken to the hospital.
The driver of the Dodge Charger, 20, stayed at the scene. He reportedly told police he thought he had a green light and didn't see the children in the crosswalk as he turned left.
The driver and his passenger were not injured.
Impairment does not appear to be a factor in this crash.
Arizona ranks among the highest in the country for pedestrian deaths, according to the Governor's Highway Safety Association.
Two hundred pedestrians were killed walking the streets from January to November in 2019, according to the Arizona Governor's Office of Highway Safety.
