A Chaseburg youth is walking a wee bit slower this week after he was struck by a car on Friday, Dec. 5, while crossing State Highway 162 in the village of Chaseburg.

The accident happened at the intersection of Depot Street and Swain Street in the village of Chaseburg at 4:35 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 5, when 8-year-old, Kurt J. King, the son of Denise Chaput of Chaseburg and Terry King of Coon Valley, stepped out onto the highway when a passing car ran over his foot. The driver of the automobile, a black 4-door Cadillac, with Iowa license plates, stopped to check on the youth, but left the scene before emergency assistance arrived.

According to Chaput, who carried her son home after he was struck, Kurt was returning home from a friend’s house when the accident occurred. He received extensive bruising on his foot, but thankfully no broken bones.

Witnesses at the scene told Chaput that the male driver of the vehicle, who they believe was 50-60 years old, was visibly upset when he exited his vehicle to check on her son, but left the scene after he was told to do so by other people who had gathered at the scene, all of whom believed King was shaken up, but uninjured.

Soon after Chaput arrived home with her son, the Vernon Sheriff’s Department, Coon Valley Rescue and Tri-State Ambulance arrived at the scene and transported the youth to Franciscan Skemp Healthcare in La Crosse for treatment of his injuries. He was later released.

“Kurt won’t be running laps for a while and will be walking with a limp until the bruising disappears. One thing’s for sure my son and hopefully other kids in the community will think twice and look both ways when they cross the street in the future,” Chaput said.

The Vernon County Sheriff’s Department is still investigating the accident and searching for the driver of the automobile, which struck King. According to the sheriff’s department it is illegal to leave the scene of any accident until law enforcement arrives and anyone with information regarding this incident should contact the Vernon County Sheriff’s Department at 608-637-2123 or Vernon County Crimestoppers at 1-800-657-6868.