AURORA, Colo. (KDVR) — A Castle Rock mother is urging drivers to pay closer attention after her 5-year-old son was hit by a driver while crossing the street, and the driver never stopped.
Amani Willis says her son, Zaiden Martin, was riding his bike with her to get ice cream just after 7:40 p.m. on July 12. They were crossing at a roundabout on Promenade Parkway, near the Alana Apartments, when a white SUV hit Zaiden in the crosswalk.
I-70 closed for deadly crash involving motorcycle, semi truck“I was screaming stop, stop, and I was trying to get the driver’s attention,” Willis said. “But they didn’t brake — not once, not for one second did they brake at all. And I couldn’t really tell… I was just praying that my son had made it across.”
After the crash, she says the driver fled the scene.
“It’s heartbreaking because, you know, even if it was an accident — he’s five. He’s five years old. Like, you don’t care how he’s doing? How he turned out? He’s so young. It was heartbreaking. I wasn’t even angry—I was just heartbroken, because how could you be so cruel?”
Zaiden was rushed to Children’s Hospital Colorado in Aurora, where he’s been receiving care ever since.
“Thankfully, he has no broken bones,” Willis said. “He only has a fracture in his skull and bleeding in his brain — but it’s nothing that requires surgery. And he only needed one stitch for the back of his head. So all in all, the neurologist said that he’s superhuman.”
In the days following the hit-and-run, Willis posted details about the vehicle and a partial license plate number on social media. She says tips from the community have helped police identify a suspect.
“They are 100% certain that they know who it is. It’s really just about getting them—because it will be a felony charge—so they want to make sure they have every piece of evidence to get the right charges,” she said.
As her son recovers, Willis says she hopes what happened serves as a wake-up call for other drivers.
“It’s more important that we stay safe as a community, because it’s supposed to be a village, right? We’re supposed to look out for one another. So that’s what we should be doing—especially while driving. Especially,” said Willis.
Despite everything, she says Zaiden’s bright spirit hasn’t dimmed.
“I’m just glad that it’s not breaking his adventurous side, and his tough side. And he still wants to get out and enjoy life.”
Multiple Denver agencies welcome Idaho firefighter injured after deadly ambushZaiden remains hospitalized, with therapy and healing ahead of him. His mom says he’s a strong little boy — and is already looking forward to starting kindergarten this fall.
Castle Rock police have not yet publicly announced an arrest, but the investigation remains active.
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