Eyewitness Recounts Kid Being Hit by Car

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WOLO) — A Dent Middle School student is struck by a car and killed and a nearby employee who witnessed the aftermath believes it was bound to happen. 11-year-old sixth grader, Devonte Owens, was hit by a car and run over by a second car Tuesday afternoon after leaving school. While he was not struck in front of the school, but down Decker Blvd., in front of Rush’s Restaurant, the accident leaves one employee wondering if it might happen again. Charlotte Hudgins says she sees kids daily walk up and down the busy highway playing in and out of the road. She doesn’t believe Owens was playing when he was hit and killed. However, she is not surprised the accident occurred. Hudgins and school officials hope the 11-year-old’s death will serve as a wake-up call to everyone to obey traffic rules, slow down in and around school zones and be cognizant of their and others’ safety. The boy was treated at the scene but died overnight at a local hospital. An autopsy revealed his death was due to ‘multiple trauma associated with being struck by a car.’ Devontee Owens would have turned 12 on October 22.