An 11-year-old boy who was struck by a vehicle while jogging in an unincorporated area near El Cajon earlier this month was laid to rest Tuesday. Kevin Ouda's family took him off life support on Sunday.
Kevin, a martial arts student at local gym Pure Heart Muay Thai, was running with teammates on the morning of Dec. 21 when he was hit by a vehicle on North First Street. The boy's coach told news outlets that during the run, a dog lunged at the group of boys and Kevin jumped into the street to avoid it, where he was struck.
He was taken to Rady Children's Hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery and was placed on life support.
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According to a social media post from Pure Heart Muay Thai, "Kevin's family made the decision to let Kevin be at peace in heaven with God today." He died at about 2:14 p.m. Sunday, according to the post.
"Kevin, we love you and God loves you," Sunday's post from the gym reads. "May God rest your beautiful soul. Please pray for Kevin's family during this unimaginably difficult time."
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When Natasha Brown heard a crash on the morning of Dec. 21, she ran outside.
"We heard a lot of chaos and commotion, and I saw more of the aftermath, and there was a kid on the ground," Brown said.
She says – where she lives on First Street – incidents like this are not uncommon.
"It's sad, and it sucks," Brown said. "It sucks to see. It sucks to see people get hurt. It just makes you feel really bad because you can't help."
James Gregory, Kevin's coach, says the street where Kevin was hit has long been dangerous.
"There are no speed bumps," Gregory said. "There are no stop signs. There are no street lights."
The area is unincorporated and maintained by San Diego County. The county said in a statement, in part, that the road had "no history of pedestrian incidents," noting the speed limit was recently lowered from 35 to 30 miles per hour.
"County Public Works will reevaluate the safety of the portion of the road it maintains to identify any potential measures," the county said in the statement.
Residents say they see drivers speeding all the time.
"It's definitely scary," Cynthia, who lives on First Street, told NBC 7.
Cynthia's son loves soccer, but she won't let him kick the ball in their front yard.
"You're not comfortable," she said. "You can't have your kid play outside while you're inside doing something just because it's not safe."
She and so many others want something — sidewalks, streetlights, anything — to be done.
"I would not want this to happen to another child like it happened to Kevin," Gregory said. "And that would be meaningful if we could have some help here so that that doesn't happen again."
The California Highway Patrol says the driver that hit Kevin was 74 years old. The agency made no mention of the driver’s speed but said drugs and alcohol were not a factor. The investigation is ongoing.
