‘You are normally safe there’: Young boy recovering after being hit by car outside his home
A young boy is recovering days after being hit by a delivery driver while playing in north Charlotte.
The 5-year-old and his siblings were playing outside along Harringham Lane near Old Statesville Road on Wednesday night when a driver hit the kids.
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Three children were taken to the hospital with varying levels of injuries, but Christian Eddleman remains there as of Friday night.
Channel 9′s veteran crime reporter Glenn Counts spoke with the boys’ father and his older brother who helped save the day.
“Right now, (Christian) can’t really talk right now, because of the burn from the ground on his face, his mouth, he lost teeth, so yeah, he’s doing pretty bad,” said Trey Eddleman, the young victim’s dad.
The boy suffered a concussion and severe road rash.
“My baby boy that’s 5 years old was lifeless,” Trey said. “I’m holding him in my arms, he was bleeding, his whole face covered in blood.”
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Christian was outside playing football with his brothers when the boys were hit.
“You are normally safe there,” said Limani Eddleman, the boy’s 10-year-old brother who was also hit.
Limani went flying through the air when hit by the driver, but wasn’t hurt. He quickly ran to get his brother help.
“When I came outside this man [Limani], right here, is carrying my other son in his hands,” Trey said. “That’s a hero.”
“I definitely flew, but it didn’t hurt at all,” Limani said. “Because you are Superman?” Channel 9′s Counts asked. “You could say that,” Limani said with a laugh.
Neighbors told Channel 9 they returned home to a chaotic scene.
“This whole area was essentially a crime scene, because there were, you know, kids shoes littered on the ground,” said Robert Vaughn, who lives nearby.
Witnesses say the driver tried to leave the scene. He was blocked in by neighbors until police got there.
“Another neighbor pulled up, ended up blocking him in, so he couldn’t leave or back out the street,” Trey said. “He jumped out of his car and we subdued him until the police got there.”
Trey said he is thankful young Christian remains in recovery, but isn’t sure when his son will return home. The father too is on the mend, he told Channel 9 he broke his arm while subduing the driver.
According to police, the driver accused of hitting the child was arrested and officers found drugs in the car.
Eric Baptist, 23, was arrested in connection to the case, police said.
Editor’s note: A previous version of this story said the child victim was 4 years old based on a Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department report. The boy is 5 years old, according to his dad.
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