Driver Who Accidentally Ran Over Boy in Driveway Is Identified
OXNARD — Authorities have released the identity of the motorist who accidentally ran over a toddler in the driveway of a home in Oxnard’s Silver Strand Beach neighborhood last weekend.
John Vorburger, 34, of Oxnard was backing out a 1977 GMC utility van from the driveway of a home in the 100 block of Oxnard Avenue on Saturday afternoon when he ran over 22-month-old Austin J. Hewitt, who had wandered outside.
Officials at the scene had earlier said the boy’s 38-year-old father, Greg Hewitt, was driving the vehicle. The father was a passenger in the van at the time of the accident.
No citations have been issued, and no arrests have been made, said California Highway Patrol spokesman Dave Cockrill. An investigation of the incident is continuing.
The boy suffered a broken pelvis and bruised lungs from the incident. He remained in serious condition Monday night at Cottage Hospital in Santa Barbara, which has a pediatric intensive care unit.
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