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The boy was in a Volkswagen Routan mini-van that struck a Nissan Versa on Ackerman Avenue as it emerged from Bellair Road, Ward said.
The Nissan, driven by an 85-year-old Hawthorne woman, then crashed into a nearby fence.
The Ridgewood boy’s 42-year-old mother, who was driving the mini-van, wasn’t injured.
The elderly woman complained of pain in her side, however, and the boy had a bump on his forehead, the chief said.
Ward (below) was one of the first on the scene. He comforted the boy and helped get him on a backboard.
“He was a little shaken up,” the chief told CLIFFVIEW PILOT.
Ward was an EMT in New York City before moving to Ridgewood in 1979. A year later, he became one of the Ridgewood Ambulance Corps’ first members. All told, he has more than 30 years as emergency medical worker.
“I wanted him to know it was going to be OK,” he said about the boy, “but there are also precautionary measures you have to take, especially with a bump on the head.”
Also responding today were village police, firefighters and ambulance squad members, who took the boy and the elderly driver to The Valley Hospital in Ridgewood.
Both vehicles were removed from the scene by flatbed tow truck.
Firefighters handled a minor fluid spill. They also disconnected the batteries of both vehicles to reduce the risk of a fire hazard.
PHOTOS: Boyd A. Loving (who also contributed to this story)
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