JULY 13, 2009 - A 17-year-old boy was severely injured when he was struck by a car while running in a fundraising event for the Bakersfield Police Department’s K9 unit, authorities said. The unidentified boy was struck about 9:15 p.m. while running in the southbound lanes of Calloway Drive near Stockdale Highway, according to police. The victim was transported to Kern Medical Center, where he was listed in critical condition, authorities said. The driver of the Honda Accord, identified as 19-year-old Casey Geiger, may have been under the influence of marijuana, police said. They are awaiting the results of blood tests. The eighth annual run was scheduled for the evening and took participants along the Kern River bike path. The teenager had apparently veered off course when he was struck. Another runner directly behind the victim said he saw the boy run the wrong direction at a poorly marked fork in the course and then heard the collision shortly afterward, according to reports. According to online court reports, Geiger had been arrested on suspicion of drug possession in October. The Bakersfield Police Department’s traffic division is investigating the pedestrian collision.

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