Reno, NV (August 18, 2026) – A 5-year-old child suffered serious, life-threatening injuries after being struck by a vehicle while chasing a ball in the street on Monday, August 17, at the intersection of 9th Street and Dolomite Circle in Reno.
The crash happened at approximately 8:33 p.m. Reno police, firefighters, and REMSA personnel responded to reports of a vehicle striking a pedestrian.
The child was transported to a hospital with severe, life-threatening injuries. According to the Reno Police Department, the driver left the scene without stopping to help. Investigators do not currently have a description of the vehicle or driver.
The department’s Major Accident Investigation Team is handling the investigation. Police believe numerous witnesses may have left before officers arrived and are asking anyone who witnessed the collision or has information about the vehicle or driver to contact authorities.
We hope the child makes a full and complete recovery.
Why Can Hit-and-Run Crashes Be Difficult to Investigate?
Hit-and-run investigations can be challenging when a driver leaves before officers arrive. Investigators may rely heavily on witnesses, surveillance footage, physical evidence, and information about the vehicle’s direction of travel to identify the driver.
Witnesses can be particularly important in cases where investigators lack a description of the vehicle. Even seemingly minor details, such as the vehicle’s color, size, direction of travel, or sounds heard immediately before and after the crash, may help investigators develop leads.
Authorities typically encourage witnesses to report what they observed as soon as possible. Investigators can then compare those accounts with evidence collected at the scene to reconstruct the collision and determine who was responsible.
