Lewiston police on Monday were investigating how a sport utility vehicle ran over a 9-year-old boy riding a bicycle on Saturday, weighing various factors before deciding whether to charge the teenage driver.

Lt. Mike McGonagle of the Lewiston Police Department said the victim, Jordan Norwood, remained in critical but stable condition at Maine Medical Center in Portland on Monday.

The 17-year-old driver, Matthew S. Moran, has had his license for just over four months.

“At this point, (Moran) has not been charged, but that doesn’t mean he won’t be,” McGonagle said Monday evening.

According to Lewiston police, Norwood, who was not wearing a helmet, was riding his bicycle on Tall Pines Drive around 11:20 a.m. Saturday when Moran, who was driving a Ford Explorer, approached him from behind. Moran told police the boy was riding in the middle of the left side of the road and appeared to be turning left into a driveway when Moran decided to pass the bicycle on the right side of Tall Pines Drive.

When Moran started to pass the boy, Norwood swerved into his path, police said.

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“He ran right over him,” McGonagle said.

Norwood suffered life-threatening injuries and was taken by LifeFlight helicopter to Maine Medical Center, Lewiston police said.

Tall Pines Drive winds through a densely populated development along the Androscoggin River known as River Valley Apartments. Both boys live there, Moran on Tall Pines Drive and Norwood on Strawberry Avenue.

Moran’s father said the boys didn’t know each other.

“(Matthew) was devastated when it happened,” Scott Moran said on Monday night.

According to its website, the complex is an affordable-housing development with more than 200 dwelling units. McGonagle said the posted speed limit on Tall Pines Drive is 25 mph.

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As part of their investigation, Lewiston police are looking at a number of factors that may have contributed to the crash, including speed and whether Moran had started to slow down – there was a stop sign about 50 feet from where the crash took place.

Moran has no driving convictions or accidents, according to records maintained by the Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles.

Moran obtained his learner’s permit in March 2014. He was issued a driver’s license on April 6, 2015.

McGonagle cautioned all motorists to be careful when driving near children on bicycles.

“There are tons of kids all over the place,” McGonagle said of the River Valley Apartments complex. “Whenever people are driving around kids on bikes, you need to use extra caution. Even if a kid is on his front lawn, they are known to dart out in the street. Kids on bikes are very unpredictable.”


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