Elderly driver hits family in Concord, 20-month-old seriously injured, police say

By Dan Adams, Globe Correspondent

A Concord toddler was airlifted by MedFlight to Children’s Hospital Boston with serious injuries this morning after he, his 5-year-old brother, and his mother were struck by a vehicle while they were walking on Commonwealth Avenue in Concord.

Police spokesman Sergeant Jack Kennedy said the accident, which was reported by nearby residents around 9 a.m., occurred when an elderly Westford woman driving a 1999 Toyota Camry attempted to turn off Commonwealth Avenue and onto Winthrop Street, then struck the three family members, who were crossing the street. The car careered across a lawn and knocked a nearby garage off its foundation, injuring the driver, who was on her way to dialysis, police said.

The mother and her 5-year-old son were treated and released from Emerson Hospital today. The elderly driver remains hospitalized in unknown condition at Emerson. A press release by police descibed the 20-month-old boy’s injuries as “serious.”

As of 10 p.m. tonight, the younger boy was still hospitalized, said Kennedy, who didn’t have further information on his condition.

Kennedy said that officers arriving at the scene found the mother lying in the street cradling her younger son, who was being pushed in a stroller. The older boy, who had been either riding or pushing a small bike with training wheels, was nearby and responsive.

The intersection, near the heavily traveled Route 2 rotary and the MCI-Concord prison, had no crosswalk, Kennedy said.

Concord police said an investigation of the incident was ongoing. The State Police accident reconstruction team also was involved, collecting physical evidence from the scene.

Kennedy said that relatively few pedestrians are hit by cars in suburban Concord.

“We do have them on occasion,’’ Kennedy said. “We’ve gone years without them, and then had years where we’ve had more than one. It’s hard to say.”

Dan Adams can be reached at adams@globe.com.