An Aberdeenshire community was in a state of “shock” yesterday after a five-year-old boy was hit by a 4×4 while playing on his scooter yards from his family home.
The youngster, named locally as Aston Burt, is understood to have been playing with his friends when he was involved in a collision with a Land Rover Discovery at Elrick, just outside Westhill, on Thursday night.
Emergency service feared the worst on arrival, describing his condition as “critical”, however his health is now believed to have stabilised. He remained in Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital with his family by his bedside last night.
The accident happened at the junction between Burnland Place and Carnie Crescent at around 7pm.
A police spokeswoman yesterday said inquiries into the accident had closed, and that no one had been arrested or charged as a result.
Officers closed the road for three hours on the evening as they carried out their investigations.
An ambulance spokeswoman said the youngster suffered head and leg injuries but they were not “life threatening”.
Aston’s family were not available for comment last night.
Westhill councillor Amanda Allan said: “I was speaking to a couple of people about it today and there is just a sense of shock about it. I hope he is okay, I don’t know exactly what happened but in time that will come.
“Parents may be a little bit worried about their kids going out but the weather is so great, it’s good to see them outside.