A 14-year-old boy was hit by a car while “being chased by a neighbour ” who was allegedly angry he had gone into his garden to get a ball back.
Stevie Taylor-Lovatt, 14, was rushed to hospital in an ambulance after the shocking incident in Staffordshire around 8pm last Tuesday.
The teen’s stepfather Nathan told Stoke on Trent Live that he had been with two mates playing with the ball when it went into another person's garden.
“They went into a garden to get a football. According to witnesses, a guy has come out of the house and chased them into the road,” he said.
Nathan added: "Stevie was so scared, he wasn't thinking about where he was going.
“He ended up running in front of a car.”
Nathan said Stevie was knocked unconscious in the incident.
When he came around, he didn’t know where he was or what had happened and said he wanted to go home.
"My wife was frantic when she heard, she was screaming,” Nathan said.
“He could have been killed. I've never experienced anything like it, it was awful."
Nathan added: "Physically he's sore and tired, but mentally he doesn't even want to cross the road.
“It's really shaken him up.”
Nathan claimed he was told by the neighbour whose garden it was that the lads had run away when a car pulled onto his drive and that he hadn’t come out of his house.
“But there are witnesses who say different,” he said.
He went on to claim that police hadn’t bothered speaking to any of the witnesses or getting their details.
“There were two in the car that hit him, two in the car behind and the two boys who were with Stevie.
"They haven't looked at any CCTV to see what happened,” he said.
"It took two days for me to get a phone call back from the police and they said they wouldn't be able to come and take a statement until nearly a week later. They haven't done anything."
A spokesman for Staffordshire Police said: "Police were called to Ford Green Road, Stoke-on-Trent, at 8pm on May 17 following reports of a collision. Officers attended as did paramedics.
"It was reported a car and a pedestrian were involved in a collision.
"A 14-year-old boy was treated at the scene and taken to hospital for precautionary checks.
"The driver is assisting police with inquiries. Inquiries are ongoing."
