Boy Hit by Father’s Truck Critical

TUJUNGA —  A 4-year-old boy who suffered massive injuries after being hit by his father’s pickup truck remained in critical condition Saturday in the intensive care unit at Childrens Hospital of Los Angeles.

A witness told police that the boy, Steven E. Ross, rode his bike into the path of his father’s truck about 4 p.m. Friday in the parking lot of the Travel Inn at 7254 Foothill Blvd., Tujunga.

The boy was wearing a bicycle helmet.

Steven’s father, Richard Ross, 40, apparently didn’t see his son. One wheel of his 1974 Ford pickup truck ran completely over the boy, a Fire Department spokesman said. The boy’s helmet was crushed.

Steven suffered nasal and skull fractures, brain swelling and lacerations of the liver, spleen and kidney, said Lt. Ron Tingle of the Los Angeles Police Department’s Foothill Traffic Division.

Paramedics airlifted the boy to Childrens Hospital in Hollywood, where he underwent surgery to repair his skull and damaged organs.

On Saturday, Steven was on a respirator, said hospital spokesman Steve Rutledge.

The Rosses have lived at the Travel Inn since September, according to manager Ramesh Patel.

Patel’s son, Mitul, 14, said that, when he saw Steven riding toward Ross’s truck, he ran toward them, shouting a warning. But Richard Ross didn’t hear it.

“I guess he didn’t see him because he’s so small and the truck is high,” Mitul Patel said.

Motel resident Kathy Miller, 53, said she heard screams and ran outside in time to help the distraught Ross remove his injured child from under the truck and carry him inside to wait for paramedics.

“He’s an excellent daddy,” she said. “He was very traumatized.”

Miller said Ross and his son are very close, and the two often worked together outside on the truck or bicycle.

The Rosses could not be reached for comment Saturday. Police said no charges would be filed in the accident.