COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Hilliard Division of Police is investigating a hit-and-run that left a 2-year-old girl seriously injured Monday morning.
Hilliard police responded to a report of a child in the roadway around 8:40 a.m. near 3457 Fishinger Road in Norwich Township.
The girl was being watched by her grandparents at a nearby home when she wandered off. She reportedly walked into the roadway and was struck near a curb.
Ivan Opasic, the girl's grandfather, said they were playing in the backyard before the incident. The girl’s grandfather said he was picking something up and looked away for a brief moment. When he looked up again, the girl was gone.
Opasic ran around the house and got to the front yard when he saw his granddaughter run towards the street.
“I run and I was about halfway when she got hit. And I pick her up and take her inside the house, I didn't see no bleeding and I called right away, 911,” Opasic said.
The girl was taken to Nationwide Children’s Hospital where her condition is described as serious, but stable.
Police said they are investigating the incident as a hit-and-run crash, but the driver that hit the child and left the scene is cooperating with the investigation.
The initial investigation indicates speed was not a factor in the crash.
No charges have been filed at this time.
Fishinger Road, between Smiley and Dublin roads, was closed while police investigated, but has since reopened.