Young bike rider hurt in collision with car in Swansea

SWANSEA, Mass. -- A car hit a young boy riding a bicycle in Swansea on Tuesday afternoon, throwing him into the path of an oncoming school bus.

The accident reportedly left 15-year-old Justin Charron with severe head and leg injuries.

Neighbors said they are praying for Charron, who is being treated at Hasbro Children's Hospital in Providence.

“He’s a very, very nice, polite boy,” a neighbor said.

Around 2:40 p.m. Tuesday, Charron was riding his bike down Hinsdale Street. He came onto Bark Street to make a right hand turn, when witnesses said he was struck.

“He struck his head on the windshield of the car, flipped off the car, and the bus ran him over,” said Deputy Chief Robert Furtado of the Swansea Police Department.

Witnesses said the teen was wearing headphones at the time of the accident and didn't look both ways. The woman driving the car that struck him was apparently so traumatized she had to be taken to the hospital herself.

The school bus involved in the crash was filled with young children. The children were immediately taken off the bus.

The road was closed for two hours after the incident.

As of 10 p.m. Tuesday, Charron's condition was unknown.

The case is still under investigation, but at this point it doesn’t appear either driver is at fault.

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