It’s a night Anthony should have spent celebrating – the Raptors had just won game four against the Golden State Warriors – but instead he said he spent the night injured and in hospital after the man was hit by a vehicle that fled the scene.
Anthony, who asked that his last name not be published, said he had just finished watching the game at BMO Field in Toronto with a friend and the pair had left the venue, walking with hundreds of people who flooded the sidewalks and streets in the surrounding area.
“It was a great time. People were cheering, honking their horns,” he said.
“I was walking in the bike lane because the sidewalks were so crowded that it was spilling out on to the bike lane and as I was walking on the bike lane, I was cheering with cars – they were honking – and a car came behind me and hit me.”
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Anthony said he blacked out after being hit. But once he regained consciousness, he said he was left in shock by the incident — especially after learning the driver had left the scene.
“I remember waking up on the ground,” he said.
“I was in pain but I was more in shock… I can’t believe someone would do this to a human being.”
After Anthony was hit, he said many people had come to his aid and had informed him of what had happened.
“They were complete strangers… it just goes to show that there are good people out there,” he said.
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Toronto police attended the scene and an investigation is currently underway and officers are appealing to anyone with information to come forward.
Anthony said he didn’t initially go to hospital, but once the shock wore off and the pain began to set in he went right away.
“Once the pain kicked in, I was at the hospital,” he said.
“They told me I had a concussion. I have chest and rib contusions. My ribs are internally bruised and my leg is pretty banged up.”
Angela, Anthony’s mother, said she hopes the driver involved will come forward to police.
“Do the right thing… come forward and take ownership of your actions,” she said, adding while she is distressed over her son’s injuries, she knows it could have been a lot worse.
“He’s got wounds. He’s in excruciating pain every day, but I am eternally grateful that he is here … it could have been so much worse.”