Two young children were hit within minutes of each other Tuesday evening in separate incidents in Colorado Springs, and one suffered life-threatening injuries, police said.

A 2-year-old boy was in critical condition with head injuries after being struck by a Hummer SUV at a car wash near the 3100 block of South Academy Boulevard, said Colorado Springs police Sgt. Lonnie Spanswick, a supervisor with the major accidents division.

The child wandered away from a car that his father was vacuuming, Spanswick said, adding that no charges against the Hummer driver were anticipated.

“I’ve seen this scenario several times,” Spanswick said. “When a child starts playing in a parking lot, tragedy is going to follow.”

Police received a call for that incident at 6:35 p.m. Two minutes later, there was a report that a 4-year-old had been struck on Trout Creek Pass Drive, just southwest of Powers Boulevard and North Carefree Circle.

In that incident a boy ran into the street and was hit by a car that had just come out of a right turn. The boy was taken to a hospital with no life-threatening injuries, said Colorado Springs police Sgt. L.C. Morgan. 

Neighbors said the boy was playing in his front yard in the 5600 block of Trout Creek Pass Drive, with his father nearby. The boy ran into the street as a Chevy sedan was turning west onto Trout Creek from Rio Vista. 

 “All I heard was the dad shouting ‘no, no no,’ over and over,” said a neighbor, who asked not to be identified.The neighbor said his 6-year-old son saw the accident.

The driver, Joseph Barton, 18, of Colorado Springs, was cited on suspicion of careless driving involving injury and exceeding prudent speeds for conditions, police said.The names of the children and the other driver were not released Tuesday.

The names of the children and the other driver have not been released.

Check back for more on this story as it becomes available.

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