A boy was in critical condition in hospital after being hit by a police vehicle on an emergency call as he crossed the road in Lancaster, say authorities.
The boy was taken to the Royal Lancaster Infirmary following the incident, which took place at around 8.30pm on Thursday on Owen Road in Lancaster, reported the BBC.
“A police vehicle, attending an emergency call, has been involved in a collision with a child who was crossing the road,” a Lancashire Police spokesperson said
“The child has been taken to Royal Lancaster Infirmary, where his condition is described as critical. Our thoughts are with the child’s loved ones at this time.”
“An investigation is underway to establish the full circumstances that led to the collision.” And the force added, “A road closure is in place and will remain in place for some time.”
The force has voluntarily referred the incident to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), “as is standard with an incident of this nature.”
And it has urged anyone with any information, CCTV or dashcam footage to contact the force.
The incident took place just days after riots broke out on 22 May in the Ely area of Cardiff following a fatal crash that killed teenage boys Kyrees Sullivan, 16, and 15-year-old Harvey Evans.
South Wales Police is investigating CCTV footage that shows an electric bike being followed by a police van moments before the crash, after first claiming that the accident had “already occurred” when its officers arrived at the scene.