11-year-old boy hospitalized after dad says he was hit by car near Mercedes-Benz Stadium

ATLANTA — A night spent cheering on Georgia Tech inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium took a turn for the worst when a man says his son was hit by a car.

Single father Jonathan Chastain told Channel 2 Action News exclusively that he and his two children, an 11-year-old son and 7-year-old daughter, were walking back to their car just before the Georgia Tech and Clemson football game ended Monday night.

Jonathan Chastain says that as they were walking, his son Kaine got out ahead of him as they crossed Northside Drive. That’s when a car came barreling out of nowhere and crashed into Kaine.

“It flew down the hill and there was nothing anybody could do. He tried to get out of the way, and luckily he was able to get out of the way enough, and all it got was his leg,” Jonathan Chastain said.

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Kaine broke his right leg in two places and remains hospitalized at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.

Atlanta police say surveillance footage from the area showed that the car was going through a yellow traffic light just before the crash.

After hitting the 11-year-old, police say the car braked for a moment, but the driver continued down the road.

A witness was able to give police a partial license plate number for the black sedan that could have been a Cadillac.

The family is grateful for the strangers they say stepped in during their time of need.

“A random Clemson fan, who happened to be a nurse, stopped to help us. If anyone knows who she is, I would love to find her and tell her, ‘thank you.’”

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Kaine and his father are both begging for the driver to be found.

“I’m feeling better now. Please if you can find whoever did this to me, and arrest them for what they have done,” Kaine told Channel 2 from his hospital bed.

“You hurt my son. I am not mad at you, but I would like for you to come and admit to what you did wrong, and come forth and own up to it,” Jonathan Chastain said.

Kaine will start physical therapy on Wednesday, but his recovery will be a months-long process.

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The family has started a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for Kaine’s medical bills.

Police say that the family did not have right of way as they crossed the road. It is unclear if the driver will be facing charges once identified.

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