Local

11-year-old boy hit by suspected drunk driver in Union County

UNION COUNTY, N.C. — Troopers have charged a man they said was driving drunk when he hit a young boy on Faith Church Road in Union County.

Thirty-year-old Jedidiah Crabtree is facing charges in the crash that sent 11-year-old Luke Saxon to the hospital.

Jedidiah Crabtree

Friends told Channel 9 Luke is still hospitalized a week later. They said he was crossing the street to visit a friend when he was hit.

“All of a sudden we heard tires screeching for a long time, and we looked at each other and we were waiting for it to hit something,” witness Hannah Owens said.

Witnesses ran to call 911. The boy was rushed to the hospital with critical injuries.

"At first, I felt sick. As a mother we want to protect our kids and he was going to his friend's house to play. Then, I felt angry because there's no excuse for drunk driving," said Rikki Tillman. She and her husband, Mark, decided to make and sell T-shirts to help raise money for the family.

"They'd give the shirt off their back, the last dollar in their pocket,” Mark Tillman said.

There is also a GoFundMe page raising money for Luke.

Friends told Channel 9 the boy is still in the ICU at Levine Children’s Hospital.

Crabtree is out of jail on bond and is expected to appear in court in July.