BURBANK, CALIFORNIA – A man in a wheelchair who was helping an elderly woman cross the street on Friday heard honking and then was hit by a large Sport Utility Vehicle. The Burbank Police Department is currently looking for the driver, who fled the scene of the accident. The man, Marcel Carrion, said they were turning fast and hit the rim of his wheelchair wheel. Carrion said he is thankful he was in the wheelchair as it may have saved his life.

Witnesses said the driver was making a left turn onto Kenwood Street near California Avenue when the accident occurred. As the vehicle went through the crosswalk, it hit 46-year-old Carrion in his wheelchair. Glendale Police Detective Mike Wenz said Carrion was escorting the woman home from a peace vigil at East Broadway and North Brand Boulevard just before 9 p.m. when he heard the honking. He could not determine exactly where the honking was coming from or the make of the vehicle prior to being hit. Carrion was thrown from his wheelchair and landed in the street. He was then treated at the scene for a bump on the back of his head and cuts on his elbow and thumb. Witnesses helped Carrion back into his wheelchair. The woman he was escorting was thankfully uninjured.

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