Boy hurt critically in crash
A 4-year-old Brainerd boy was in critical condition after he rode his bicycle into the path of an oncoming sport-utility vehicle Tuesday afternoon on Russell Road off Riverside Drive in northwest Brainerd.
The crash happened about 2:34 p.m. about 100 yards down Russell Road, a narrow, dead-end road surrounded by homes tucked back into the trees. The boy, Benjamin Castro, was riding a bicycle out of a driveway obscured by trees and a power pole when he was struck by a SUV driven by 67-year-old Jim Pryor, Brainerd Police Chief John Bolduc said. Both Castro and Pryor live on Russell Road.
People near the home of 4-year-old Benjamin Castro hugged each other Tuesday afternoon as paramedics prepared to transport the boy to the hospital after he was struck by a vehicle while he was riding his bike near his home on Russell Road off Riverside Drive in northwest Brainerd. Brainerd Dispatch/Kelly Humphrey » Purchase reprints of this photo.
Witnesses at the scene said children often ride bicycles where the crash happened and are difficult to see when they come out of driveways. The driveway Benjamin Castro rode his bicycle out of was marked by a "Caution - Children at Play" sign.
The family's pastor, called by Benjamin Castro's father, Richard Castro, arrived at the scene shortly after the crash to find out what happened. After about two minutes he left for St. Joseph's Medical Center in Brainerd to be with the family at the hospital.
Assisted by Crow Wing County sheriff's deputies - who arrived on the scene first - and Brainerd firefighters, Brainerd police officers interviewed Pryor and took photos of the crash site. Bolduc said investigators will reconstruct the crash but there was nothing that suggested extreme speed or other factors were involved.
"It appears to be a tragic accident," Bolduc said.
After the crash sheriff's deputies had blocked the entrances to the Brainerd Area Civic Center to allow for a landing zone for a North Air Care helicopter, but because the helicopter was en route to Brainerd from St. Cloud it was determined the quickest landing zone would be at St. Joseph's Medical Center.
Benjamin Castro was airlifted from St. Joseph's Medical Center to North Memorial Medical Center in Robbinsdale and was reported to be breathing on his own. Later Tuesday Benjamin Castro was reported in critical condition at the Twin Cities hospital.
MATT ERICKSON may be reached at matt.erickson@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5857.