A 5-year-old boy ran into a Brooklyn street and was hit by a taxi before the horrified eyes of his deaf parents, who then carried his seriously injured body half a block to an emergency room.
The child darted between two parked cars onto Hicks Street in Brooklyn Heights at around 4:40 p.m. yesterday and was struck by the SUV cab, police and witnesses told The Post.
The parents and at least one passerby carried the critically injured child to Long Island College Hospital, where a huge banner with a teddy bear welcomes children, according to witnesses.
The boy was screaming in pain after suffering severe trauma to his head and body.
His anguished parents signed to each other as their child was being treated by hospital staff.
“The nurses are all crying,” said one hospital employee who had to brace herself as she collapsed in a fit of tears.
The woman said the boy ran into the street and the mother ran behind in a futile attempt to catch him.
“I’m just devastated for the family and for that child,” said a hospital worker.
“I just saw him. I’m just devastated for the family and for that child. I have children and I just can’t imagine.” said the worker.
“Thinking about losing a child and seeing his parents. It’s heart-wrenching.”
The child was later transferred to SUNY Downstate Hospital.
The driver remained at the accident scene, and no criminality was suspected.
After the horrific incident he walked cops through the sequence of events, showing them the parked white Yukon and tan Nissan Sentra that obscured his view of the running child.
“There was no time. He stepped out and I hit the brake,” the cabby told The Post at the scene.
The accident occurred close to the entrance of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway and tied up traffic in all directions for several hours.