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Investigators say just before 5:30 p.m. Steve Roe of Drexel Hill was driving a Ford F-450 when he ran a red light at 61st Street and Columbia Avenue.
The dump truck then plowed into 13-year-old Taj Bland as he pulled football gear out of his parents' minivan.
The boy was dragged nearly 15 yards under the 23,000 pound truck before it slammed into several other cars and came to a stop.
Bland was trapped underneath and suffering from head injuries.
"He was hurt very bad. I thought he was gone, but when the ambulance came he did open his eyes and started crying," neighbor Latoya Brown said.
Medics rushed Taj to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia where he is listed in stable condition.
The teen is a student at Masterman School and is an outstanding athlete, neighbors say.
The near death experience occurred right in front of Bland's house at 61st and Columbia.
"His dad was screaming 'come on, you can breathe, you can do it, you can do it,'" Brown said.
Taj's 12-year-old brother was inside their parents' minivan which was one of the vehicles struck by the truck. He is also being treated at the hospital for injuries.
Police say Steve Roe's vehicle reeked of marijuana and he was arrested at the scene.
Authorities say Roe owns the truck and has his own dump truck business.
Neighbors say they saw the Ford F-450 speed up Columbia seconds before the crash.
Roe has been charged with DUI and aggravated assault.
