Was Meridian teen texting when his car hit two boys?

Meridian police suspect a local teenager was texting while driving when he hit and seriously injured two young brothers in a crosswalk late Saturday afternoon, Lt. Mike De St. Germain said Monday.

"If he was texting, he will be charged," De St. Germain said of the 18-year-old from Meridian who was behind the wheel of a Volkswagen Jetta. “It’s still under investigation ... it hasn’t been verified yet through phone records.”

Witnesses told police the crosswalk's red lights had been activated to stop traffic, but the Jetta drove into the crosswalk and hit the boys, who were walking and carrying their skateboards.

The brothers, ages 13 and 14, were on their way home about 4:45 p.m. Saturday, walking westbound across Ten Mile Road at Park Creek Drive, De St. Germain said.

Both brothers were taken to Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in Boise, where they remained Monday night. Rick Gehrke, a next-door neighbor to the boys, started a GoFundMe page that aims to raise $25,000 for the family's medical and other expenses as the brothers recover.

About 6:30 p.m. Monday, Gehrke posted that both boys had surgery and were in intensive care. He described the brothers as "home-schooled young boys that are polite, hard working and always happy."

This story was originally published January 11, 2016 at 7:22 PM with the headline "Was Meridian teen texting when his car hit two boys?."