Lansdale, Pennsylvania, 30 June 2012

Lansdale Police have identified the driver of the silver 2004 Honda Accord that struck 3-year-old James Nichols of Shaw Avenue in Lansdale as Suryakant Patel, 70, police said.

Patel resides on the 700 block of Shaw Avenue and is a neighbor of the Nichols family.

Police said charges are pending against Patel, who will be summoned at a later date.

On June 3, at 1:40 p.m., Lansdale Police responded to the 800 block of Shaw Avenue for a report of a hit-and-run accident involving a three-year-old boy, police said.

Witnesses told police that a Honda Accord driven by an older, Indian male, had struck the boy, identified as James Nichols, and drove away from the scene, police said.

The driver was not on location upon police arrival, police said.

The child, just prior to the accident, began running in an oblique angle from east to west across Shaw Avenue, police said. At the same time, Patel was approaching north on Shaw, which is a one-way street, police said.

Patel’s Accord struck Nichols with its right front corner, throwing Nichols forward and to the right of the vehicle, police said.

Nichols was taken to Lansdale Hospital, where he was treated for injuries, police said.

Video footage from a neighbor’s surveillance video captured the accident and a partial registration plate number provided by witnesses led to the identification of Patel, police said.

Nichols’ father, Ken Nichols, said his son suffered injuries to his elbow and has been treated for concussions