Miami Boy Injured In Hit And Run Says He's Feeling Better
MIAMI (CBSMiami) - A seven-year-old Miami boy is recovering after he was hit by a car while playing outside.
Police say the driver never stopped and now they are looking for the person who was behind the wheel.
Jay'lyn Smith was playing football in the street with his friends at NW 70th Street and NW 6th Court when he was struck just after 7 p.m. on Monday.
"He came on fast around the corner, he had turned, and he hit him," said Jay'lyn's nine-year-old brother Desmond Beckham.
Smith was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital with a knot on his forehead and some road rash scrapes by his left eye and on his left shoulder.
In an interview Tuesday morning with CBS4's Peter D'Oench, Jay'lyn said he felt "good" when asked how he was feeling.
"I got scraped on the side of my face, by my eye. I remember catching a football. When I caught the football, he just came and hit me. I fell down and hit my head. It hurt. You should turn yourself in," said Jay'lyn.
Jay'lyn also said he looked forward to going home and said he hoped that police would catch the driver.
His cousin, Antonette Frazier, said "I was hit by a drunk driver who took off when I was his age and this does not sit very well with me. I am angry and I am upset. You should turn yourself in. It is not like you hit a dog. You hit a person and we could have lost him."
Jay'lyn's grandparents said they're very upset the driver didn't stop to help.
"Left him for dead. I hope the public, if you see something, say something," said Jay'lin's grandmother Jennifer Smith.
"It's totally ridiculous because here are there little children playing football out in the street, I coached football Overtown Optimist, and you can't play in your own neighborhood, it's not safe, they come driving through here like they are crazy. No respect for the kids, no respect for the neighborhood and he needs to be caught, I hope he's caught," said Jay'lin's grandfather Robert Williamston. "I wanna tell you, you will be found and when you are found, God have mercy on your soul."
Police say that vehicle they are looking for is a newer model four-door silver sedan, possibly a Chevrolet Impala.
Anyone with information should call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at(305)471-TIPS (8477).
