Trick-or-treaters expected to be OK after being struck by truck in Monroe, police say

MONROE, N.C. — A 5-year-old and a 10-year-old were hit by a vehicle while trick-or-treating in Monroe, police said.

It happened early Tuesday night on Lancaster Avenue near Branch Street.

Resident Steve Duncan said he and his wife go all out decorating their home for Halloween every year.

“We have been handing out candy here for 25 years and never had an incident like that,” Duncan said.

Tuesday night started out like any other Halloween until he heard a loud noise outside at about 8 p.m.

“A little girl was across the street, and it could’ve been much worse because she ended up under the bumper of an oncoming car or of another truck. She was crying. The mother was screaming,” Duncan said.

Duncan said the kids were crossing the street heading toward his home ahead of their parents when they were hit by a truck.

“(The mother) looked at the gentleman who was driving the truck and said, ‘You hit my girls,’” Duncan said. “The gentleman who was driving the truck was just holding his head in his hands going, ‘I didn’t see them. They came out of nowhere.’ He was really torn up.”

The two children were taken to a hospital to be checked out and are expected to be OK.

A Channel 9 crew at the scene could see the road was not lit very well.

Resident Bill Hall, who lives across the street, also said it was dark on that road at the time.

“I don’t know if he couldn’t see the kids,” Hall said. “The conditions weren’t right. There were a lot of distractions. There was not a lot of light.”

Crews with the city of Monroe replaced a streetlight at the location the next day.

Duncan said he hopes the light prevents the same thing from happening again and wants to see the two kids again next year.

“I so hope they are going to be OK, and I hope they come back next year,” he told Channel 9.

Police said it’s too early to say whether the driver will be charged. The investigation is ongoing.

This is a developing story. Check wsoctv.com for updates.

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