PASADENA, Texas -- A sport utility vehicle hit a 5-year-old boy who was riding a bicycle on a busy road, KPRC Local 2 reported.

Pasadena police said the boy was riding his bike near the La Paloma Village apartments on Beltway 8 near San Augustine Avenue shortly after 8 p.m. Thursday.

Witnesses said the boy was chasing a ball that had rolled into the road.

The driver tried to avoid hitting the boy, investigators said. He was thrown about 50 feet upon impact, witnesses said.

The boy, whose name was not released, was taken by helicopter to Memorial Hermann Hospital in critical condition.

Some residents said they have always been frightened that a child would be hurt because their complex is so close to the Beltway.

"In here, they don't drive too fast because of the speed bumps and everything," Courtney Guerra said. "Out there, I've seen people going 80 (mph) or so."