An 11-year-old boy who was struck by a vehicle in El Cajon earlier this month died Sunday after he was pulled off life support, California Highway Patrol officials said.
The boy was struck by a Chevrolet Cobalt around 8:40 a.m. Dec. 21 near North First Street and Sumner Avenue, Officer Jasmine Lopez said in a news release.
The child was identified as Kevin Ouda of El Cajon, who was out jogging with his Muay Thai team, according to a GoFundMe page set up to support his family.
Investigators said the boy stepped onto the roadway to avoid a dog that had lunged in his direction, and the car — driven by a 74-year-old man from Lakeside — was unable to swerve out of the way, Lopez said.
The boy was transported to Rady’s Children’s Hospital, where he died a week later, Lopez said.
Drugs and alcohol were determined not to be factors in the crash, but the investigation remains ongoing, Lopez said.
On the GoFundMe page, Ouda’s Muay Thai coach James Gregory said the boy had had emergency surgery to relieve pressure on his brain.
In an Instagram post Sunday, Gregory said the family made the decision to take him off life support so Ouda could “be at peace in heaven with God.”
“I was with him and held his hand, kissed him, told him that we love him,” Gregory said. “His heart kept beating for almost 15 minutes even after life support was removed, a fighter until the very end.”
The page to support Ouda’s family had reached more than $26,000 in donations by Monday.
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