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Jul 11, 2023

Charlotte teen hit on scooter, driver took off

Next up in 5 Example video title will go here for this video CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The search is on for the person who hit a teenager riding an electric scooter, then took off. It happened Tuesday around

Next up in 5

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The search is on for the person who hit a teenager riding an electric scooter, then took off.

It happened Tuesday around 5 p.m. at Selwyn Avenue and Ridgewood Avenue in the Myers Park area.

The family says 14-year-old Sheldon Kovacs and his friend were riding a scooter toward Queens Road when a driver hit them as he was turning to head toward Woodlawn Road.

People in the area say drivers need to slow down. Now, the family wants justice as their son gets ready for his freshman year of high school.

“They are flying down this street," Nichole Kovacs said, as she stands on the sidewalk close to where her son was hit.

The scratches, cast, and crutches, are enough for anyone to understand the impact.

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“I thought I was invincible but I’m not,” Sheldon Kovacs said. “It didn’t feel too good.”

Nichole Kovacs, his mother, said he was hit hard, causing damage to his hip, his tibia, and ankle.

She doesn't understand why the driver took off.

“I’m saddened just by the lack of empathy or being apologetic by this particular adult,” Nichole Kovacs said.

A nearby witness helped the boys after the impact, but no one caught the alleged suspect's license plate. On Wednesday, Nichole Kovacs was on a mission to find surveillance video.

“I’d have such a guilty conscious, so I’m not sure what’s on that person’s heart right now,” Lundy Roberts, who lives in the neighborhood, said.

For neighbors in the area, the tragic circumstances highlight what they see as underlying problems of speed on this road and distracted driving.

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“You never know what’s going to happen, that’s why being aware is the best thing,” Roberts said.

But for now, the focus remains on Sheldon Kovacs' recovery. They say he was lucky.

“It could’ve been worse,” Nichole Kovacs said.

Still, it doesn't sit well with her.

"Just understand how important our children are to us, and slow down, pay attention,” Nichole Kovacs said.

The family said the alleged suspect was a man driving a white SUV. A police report has been filed as they stay hopeful the person who did this will come forward.

Contact Lexi Wilson at [email protected] and follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.