Teen who hit 6-year-old was going nearly 50 mph in alley

A Colorado Springs teenager was driving through an alley at more than three times the speed limit when his sport utility vehicle slammed into a 6-year-old bicyclist, critically injuring her, police said.

According to an arrest affidavit released Tuesday, the 16-year-old's 1999 Jeep Cherokee skidded 33 feet before the collision, leading police to estimate its speed at between 47 and 52 mph. The speed limit in alleys is 15 mph.

Lily Griesan suffered severe brain injuries, broken bones and a punctured lung. She remains at The Children's Hospital in Aurora.

The driver, whose name was not released, was arrested Thursday on suspicion of felony vehicular assault and released to his parents.

Police say the crash happened about 2:40 p.m. at the intersection of two alleys in the 600 block of Valley Road.

The boy, who lives nearby, told officers that he was on his way to Starbucks when he realized he had left his wallet at home and turned around, the affidavit said.

He was northbound as Lily rode west through an intersecting alley just ahead of her 9-year-old sister. Lily was in the middle of the alley when she was hit.

A 6-foot-tall fence obstructed their views of each other. Motorists at unmarked intersections, including alleys, are supposed to yield to the person at their right.

Lily began riding without her training wheels just a couple of weeks earlier, her mother, Jean Griesan said.

The girls were riding with a group of other kids when they broke away from the pack to search for an ice cream truck.

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CONTACT THE WRITER: 636-0366 or lance.benzel@gazette.com