CLEARWATER — Police are investigating a traffic incident that left an 11-year-old boy injured Wednesday.
The boy, John Portal, was struck by a car outside his family's home on a residential block of Arcturas Avenue, north of Gulf-to-Bay Boulevard, his parents said.
Clearwater public safety spokeswoman Elizabeth Watts said witnesses offered conflicting accounts of whether the driver got out of the car to check on the boy before driving away. She said the driver was identified as a 19-year-old woman who has been contacted by police. No arrests have been made, and police continue to investigate the incident, Watts said.
Norverta Chavez, John's mother, said she received a phone call while working at Burger King and came home to find her son sprawled out in the street, surrounded by paramedics.
She didn't see any obvious injuries to the boy, but he appeared stunned or in shock, she said.
"He doesn't speak at all. He is just without his mind," she said. "He's not here."
John was transported to All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg, Chavez said. Miguel Portal, his father, said early Wednesday evening that John was "doing pretty good," and the family was awaiting the results of medical tests. A spokeswoman for the hospital said John was listed in stable condition Wednesday night.
Peter Jamison can be reached at pjamison@tampabay.com or (727) 445-4157.
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