WESTLAND, Mich. (WXYZ) — A 9-year-old Westland boy is recovering from a concussion and other injuries after being struck by an SUV in his elementary school's parking lot, prompting his family to demand answers from the school district about safety measures.
Avyon Casteels was hit by the vehicle in the crosswalk of Schwitzer Elementary's parking lot Wednesday afternoon, moments after classes ended.
Watch Peter Maxwell's video report below:
"I was going outside of the school walking. I was in the middle of the parking lot and got hit," Avyon said.
Anthony Sedlarik was waiting to pick up his own children from Schwitzer Elementary when he witnessed the incident.
"I saw something out of the corner of my eye that made me turn around real quick and unfortunately, it was this 9-year-old child that got hit," Sedlarik said.
Sedlarik and a nearby teacher immediately ran to check on Avyon after the collision.
"He was able to get up by himself. He did seem hunched over," Sedlarik said.
Sedlarik then focused on ensuring the driver stopped and cooperated. Westland police say the driver moved her vehicle to avoid blocking traffic and has been cooperating with their investigation.
"I am like hey, you need to get out and go to the main office and I am going to walk you to the main office," Sedlarik said.
Avyon's mother, Marrianne Casteels, expressed her shock at the incident.
"I was numb. I was numb," Casteels said.
She is upset with the school and district, citing safety concerns she believes contributed to the incident. Casteels says school surveillance video shows a bus partially blocking the crosswalk in the parking lot. She also noted that until this school year, there was a crossing guard at the location.
"The school has been very aware of the issues with these kids crossing at a crosswalk on school property and nobody has been out there to make sure the kids are getting across OK," Casteels said.
I reached out to the school district for comment, but they did not respond by our deadline.
Avyon is dealing with multiple injuries and fears returning to school.
"I don't want to go back to school because I am probably going to be hit again," Avyon said.
The boy says his knee, ribs and head hurt from the collision.
Despite his ordeal, Avyon has an important message for drivers in school zones.
"Watch out for any kids and grown-ups," Avyon said.
—————
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
