4-year-old boy hospitalized after being run over by car

PALMER — A family sledding trip took a horrific turn on Friday night when a mother backed over her 4-year-old son after the boy jumped from the car she was driving.

The boy, who was not identified by Palmer Police, was flown by helicopter to Providence Hospital with serious injuries. Palmer Police Department Sgt. Jamie Hammons said the case appears to be a tragic accident.

“A mother was going to come out here to go sledding down the hill with her son and her son jumped out of the car while she was backing up and accidentally got run over by the car,” Hammons said.

The accident occurred a little after 5 p.m. in the parking lot of the old Carrs store. There’s a short sledding hill behind the parking lot where neighborhood children often play in the winter.

Hammons said he couldn’t speculate as to the extent of the boy’s injuries. According to witnesses the child was run over in his midsection area. Hammons said the boy was awake when emergency personnel arrived at the scene in downtown Palmer.

“The child was conscious and alert when we got here,” he said.