Girl Injured When Hit By Van Child On Bicycle Was Crossing Busy 5-Lane Street When Accident Happened

A little girl out for a twilight bike ride suffered severe head injuries Monday when she was struck by a minivan in north Spokane.

The girl, believed to be 6 or 7, was hit about 8:30 p.m. near Northwest Boulevard and Oak Street.

The victim - whom neighbors identified as Felicia Felch - was listed in critical condition at Sacred Heart Medical Center late Monday.

Police Sgt. Jason Hartman said a minivan headed north on Northwest Boulevard hit the girl as she tried to cross the busy five-lane street in front of a Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant.

The force of the impact dented the hood of the minivan, knocked the girl out of one of her shoes and threw her pink bike nearly 30 feet.

The driver of the minivan stopped at the scene and was cooperating with police, Hartman said.

“Right now, there doesn’t appear to be alcohol involved or anything like that,” he said. No citations had been issued late Monday.

Witnesses who saw the girl riding her bike Monday evening said she wasn’t wearing a helmet.

Neighbors said it’s not unusual for children in the neighborhood to ride their bikes or walk across busy Northwest Boulevard to play at nearby Audubon Elementary School.

Monday’s collision was at least the fourth involving a child in the Spokane area this year.

In March, a 14-year-old girl was critically injured when she was hit by a sports utility vehicle on the lower South Hill.

Also in March, a 12-year-old boy suffered broken bones while he was hit while riding his bike on East Sprague.

In early May, a 10-year-old girl running to school in East Spokane was injured when she ran into the side of a moving car. All three of those victims are recovering.