SPRINGDALE — A 7-year-old bicyclist is home after he was hit Monday morning by a pickup driven by a 13-year-old.
The driver was returning to Brookhaven Apartments on Powell Street, turning into the complex about 7:30 a.m., when he struck the child, who was riding in the crosswalk, according to police.
The driver, who police did not identify, took his father to work and was bringing the Chevrolet pickup home, said Lt. Kevin Lewis of the Springdale Police Department.
“We’re not sure at this point why the mother didn’t drive the father to work,” Lewis said.
The mother, Grasiela Martinez, was ticketed for allowing an unauthorized person to drive a motor vehicle. The father will also be cited for the same offense, Lewis said.
The driver was ticketed for improper driving and no driver’s license. Investigators will have to create a dummy license number with the driver’s identification so that the tickets can be entered into state motor vehicle records, Lewis said. That also allows police to mark the license as suspended, which the system will flag whenever the driver applies for a real license.
In Arkansas, drivers’ licenses cannot be issued to anyone under 15. At that age, there are hardship exemptions to the normal 16-year-old driving age.
Underage drivers are not a common problem in Springdale, although several have been stopped in recent weeks, Lewis said.
“It’s either something that’s on the rise, or a simple fluke,” he said.
Most underage driving cases involve children taking a car without the knowledge of their parents or other vehicle owners.
The phenomenon recently received national attention when an Ohio man was given probation for letting his 9-year-old drive him to a convenience store when the man was drunk.
Collisions between cars and bicycles are relatively rare in Springdale.
“I’d say we see it two or three times a year. It’s a very small percentage of our overall accidents,” Lewis said.