Geraldton grandmother calls for calm after Karloo 3yo struck by car

The grandmother of the three-year-old boy run down in a horror car crash says he’s expected to make a recovery after his condition was downgraded to serious, but improving, on Monday morning.

Major Crash continue to investigate the incident on Tuesday, March 14 when police allege a 46-year-old in a white Hyundai I30 ran over a three-year-old boy sitting on the left-hand-side verge on Aaron Close in Karloo, dragging him under the vehicle for metres.

A Child and Adolescent Health Services spokesperson said the boy was in a critical condition all of last week.

Calling him a “miracle child”, Kylie Dalgety is asking the community to send their prayers for her young grandson’s fast recovery while he makes his way out of an induced coma.

“We’re hurting, it’s horrible,” she told the Geraldton Guardian. “We’re just trying to focus on bubba at the moment.”

“He’s back getting surgery now and cleaned up from all the gravel marks,” Ms Dalgety said on Friday.

Ms Dalgety said despite fractures, a gravel-marked body and burn marks from “where he was touching the exhaust pipe”, her grandson was expected to come out of the induced coma “soon” without brain damage.

“The hospital said he is a miracle child and someone was looking over him,” she said.

“I thank my father, rest In peace, for wrapping him up under the car, shielding and covering him in his arms.”

Ms Dalgety told the Geraldton Guardian she wanted someone accountable for her grandson and hoped to see charges laid soon for fears Geraldton could become “intense”.

“I want to thank everyone for the support and call for calm because Geraldton will be very intense. I don’t want that because of who my father was,” she said.

OIC Sen. Sgt Chris Martin said the Hyundai I30 drove into Aaron Close, completed a U-turn at the end of the cul-de-sac and drove in a westerly direction when the boy was struck.

Police won’t disclose whether the driver stopped to report the alleged accident, however, Sen. Sgt Martin said the driver was assisting police with inquiries and “the circumstances as to the cause of the crash”.

“There’s no indication of any deliberate actions or motive behind it,” he said.

White markers showed where the vehicle had allegedly dragged the three-year-old from 6 Aaron Close to the end of the street, turning left on to Assen Street and stopping a short distance near 36 Assen Street.

A St John WA spokesperson said the boy, who was in a critical condition, was taken to Geraldton Regional Hospital at 6.18pm on Tuesday and flown to Perth Children’s Hospital at 1.40am as a priority one by the Royal Flying Doctors Service.

A resident who was at the scene said he put a pillow under the boy’s head when he found him on the ground so he “could rest his head”.

“It’s dead wrong what happened, but something needs to be done, and if it’s not done more incidents like this can happen,” he said.

“When I got to my fence I thought I could see an animal on the road but it was no animal, it was a child with severe injuries to his little body.”

Major crash officers said their investigation was ongoing.

Police are asking any witnesses to contact police or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.