Police: 12-year-old boy drove, crashed dad's SUV

A 12-year-old injured in a rollover crash Thursday near downtown Coeur d’Alene was driving his father’s vehicle without permission, according to police.

The mid-day wreck occurred on the corner of Third Street and Garden Avenue and involved one other vehicle.

A white Chevrolet Blazer was upside down with its windows shattered and the front bumper smashed when law enforcement personnel arrived on scene.

“I was driving on this road and out of the corner of my eye I saw another car,” said James Richardson, the driver of the other car involved in the accident. “As the dust was clearing I could see someone with blond hair laying out in the street.”

The boy, whose name has not been released, was transported from the scene to Kootenai Health. and police officers began looking for the driver of the Blazer. They soon determined the boy was alone in the vehicle at the time of the crash.

Richardson was not injured but his vehicle sustained damage.

The boy’s condition remains unknown.