Twelve-year-old boy hurt after running into car

A 12-year-old boy was slightly injured when he ran into the side of a passing car Thursday morning on Thilenius Street in front of the Cape Girardeau Middle School, police said. The accident happened at 8:16 a.m. on the last day of the school year, police Sgt. Rick Schmidt said. The boy, Gabriel Cox, suffered scratches on his left elbow and left knee. He was treated for the minor injuries at Southeast Missouri Hospital. The accident happened when a westbound van driven by Cox's mother, Denise Cox, stopped on Thilenius. A westbound car driven by Terry McDowell of Cape Girardeau attempted to pass. Gabriel Cox got out of the van and was running across the street to get to school when he collided with the car, Schmidt said.