7-year-old hurt after ATV hit by vehicle south of Joplin

The family of a 7-year-old Joplin boy is asking for help identifying a pickup truck they say hit the child on an ATV and then left the scene.

The crash happened at about 4:38 p.m. Friday on Coffee Drive, about 2 miles south of Joplin.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol says an unidentified vehicle traveled off the roadway and struck the boy’s 2005 Yamaha ATV.

The boy’s family said he has since returned home and is doing well after being evaluated at the hospital for ‘moderate’ injuries.

According to a family member, he was sitting on the four-wheeler in a backyard driveway and preparing to come back toward the road when the truck swerved off the roadway and hit him.

The family says it is looking for a 2024 or 2025 Ford F-150 SuperCrew, possibly white or off-white, with black wheels and dark-tinted windows.

They also say a lower bumper trim piece bearing part number RL34-17E810-A was recovered at the scene.

They say the truck could have fresh damage or missing plastic trim on the front passenger-side bumper near the fog light area.

The family says the truck was seen traveling north on Highway NN toward the Redings Mill area after the crash before later heading south toward Neosho.

A police report has been filed, and the family is asking anyone who may have seen the truck, has surveillance video from the area or recognizes the damage description to contact law enforcement.

The Highway Patrol lists the boy’s injuries as moderate and says he was using a safety device at the time of the crash.