A child was airlifted to the hospital this morning after being struck by a vehicle in Kissimmee, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

Seven-year-old Alexis Rodriguez was riding his bicycle to school with his siblings near Bellalago Drive and Valley View Drive in the Bellalago subdivision at about 8 a.m., when a 2009 Ford SUV driven by a man struck the boy in a traffic circle, Sgt. Kim Montes with FHP said.

The boy was thrown off the bicycle and went under the undercarriage of the vehicle, Montes said, adding the driver stayed at the scene.

The driver, 67-year-old Hernan Gulloso of New York, told troopers he didn’t see the children, who were in a marked crosswalk in the circle, because the sun was in his eyes, Montes said

The injured boy was airlifted to Arnold Palmer Children’s Hospital in Orlando in critical condition as a trauma alert. Charges are pending against Gulloso.

This is a breaking news story. Check back at www.aroundosceola.com for updates.