TAMPA, Fla. — A mother and son are recovering after they were struck by a vehicle while waiting at a bus stop in Tampa Thursday morning.
Tampa Police detectives say that the vehicle struck five children and two adults. Detectives are investigating the crash; it happened at the intersection of E. Bougainvillea Avenue and Marvy Avenue around 8:06 a.m.
Laura Chavez said she walks with the same group of people to the bus stop. Chavez and her son were both injured when a vehicle struck them. They were both transported to St. Joseph's Hospital and have since been released.
Related: 5 children, 2 adults struck byvehicleat Tampa bus stop; 2 children seriously injured
Laura Chavez suffered scratches and bruises to her stomach, legs, and face. She said her son, 6-year-old Enrique Antonio Tobias Patiño, was cut on the back of his head and scraped his leg.
Erik Patiño, 14, translated for his mother who does not speak English.
"She's thankful that nothing severe happened to her. She's happy that nobody died or had serious complications that they couldn't survive," Erik Patiño said.
According to Chavez, they were walking to the bus stop and looked both ways before crossing the road when they saw a car. She said they thought, at one point, the car was going to park at the church because she said he drove onto the grass.
"They were confident that he was stopping — like he was stopping and — like not," Erik Patiño said.
Chavez said they started to step forward to cross and that is when the car hit them.
"She got my little brother and the cousin of the girls. She got them and she doesn’t remember anything of what happened," Erik Patiño said.
According to Chavez, she woke up about 12 minutes later and saw emergency responders around her.
She wants to know what happened. She said her son told her he is afraid to walk to the bus stop now. She reassured him it will be okay. She said he will return to school Monday.
"She doesn't know what happened. She wants to know why," Erik Patiño said on behalf of his mother.
Tampa detectives continue to investigate the crash. The driver has not been charged. Detectives do not believe, at this time, that the driver crashed into the group on purpose or that he was impaired. Detectives are not sure whether speed played a role in the crash.
