Cape boy injured after riding bicycle into traffic

A 12-year-old Cape Girardeau boy was hit by a car Tuesday morning when he ran his bicycle through a stop sign and into oncoming traffic, police said. His mother said that he suffered a minor skull fracture, but that he was conscious and "doing OK."

Jared Scirocco was riding his 2003 Road Master Mountain Fury bicycle south on Henderson at 11:18 a.m. when he ignored the stop sign on Harmony Street, police said.

A 1994 Ford Probe driven by Thomas Knaup of Cape Girar-deau was driving west on Harmony approaching Henderson, when the boy crossed into the path of the car, police said.

Ran stop sign

"He was basically traveling on the wrong side of the street and then he ran the stop sign," said police Sgt. Rick Schmidt.

After being struck, Scirocco flew onto the car, where he smashed part of the windshield. He was thrown to the hood and then landed on the street, his bike a few feet away.

"I saw the boy ride past me on his bike," said Jess Bolen, a Cape Girardeau letter carrier.

"No sooner do I get one house's mail delivered than I look down the street and he's laying beside a car on the street with this guy standing beside him. It was amazing that I didn't hear anything."

The call went out to emergency officials at 11:19 a.m. and the first officer was on the scene at 11:22. Neighbors watched as the boy cried out in anguish.

"I heard him yelling, hollering," said Robert Payne, who lives on North Henderson, near the accident. "He was hurting."

Police said the injuries were not life threatening. Scirocco was transported to Southeast Missouri Hospital, where his mother, Leslie Scirocco, said he was being admitted for observation overnight. She said he was expected to be released sometime today.

"He's doing OK," she said. "He's got a skull fracture, but he's alert. He's going to be fine."

She said her son had no memory of the accident.

"He's still wondering why he's here," she said.

Knaup, the driver of the car, did not return phone calls seeking comment.

smoyers@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 137