Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Keizer Girl Struck by Car in Hit and Run

From KGW:
KEIZER, Ore. – A 10-year-old girl riding her bicycle in Keizer was struck by a car Tuesday morning and then the driver fled the scene, according to police.

Investigators said the girl was riding westbound in the crosswalk of River Road N and Cummings Lane N when her rear tire was struck by the car and she was thrown to the ground just before 10 a.m.

The girl was not seriously injured. She told police she was hit by a gray Ford 4-door vehicle which had been traveling southbound on River Road N in the curb lane.

The driver was described as a white woman about 59 years old with chin-length curly brown hair and wearing a black jacket.

The girl was treated at the scene for minor scrapes and possible bruising, according to Dan Kelley with the Keizer Police Department.

He said police have not been able to find any witnesses to interview so far and the incident is still under investigation.

Anyone with information that may help investigators was urged to call Keizer police.
From Fox 12:
KEIZER, OR (KPTV) -

A 10-year-old girl riding her bike was struck by a hit-and-run driver in Keizer on Tuesday.

The girl's mother, Angie Gwyn, told FOX 12 her daughter was trying to cross the street in the 500 block of Cummings Lane N when a driver crashed into her around 9:30 a.m.

The car hit the girl's rear tire, causing her to be thrown to the ground as she was in the crosswalk, and then the driver continued on without stopping.

Keizer police said the driver was heading south on River Road North when she hit the girl. The only damage to the bike was a broken pedal, but the girl suffered a broken toe and scrapes to her knees and hip.

The driver is described as a white woman and about 59 years old with chin-length, curly brown hair. She wore a black jacket.

Her car was a gray Ford four-door.

No witnesses have come forward so far.

Anyone with information on who may be responsible is asked to call 503-856-3479.

6 comments:

Unknown said...

The girl reported that the motorist stopped, and asked if she was ok. she said yes so the driver went on her way. On another note, why was the girl out at 10am?

Mr.Thomas said...

Richard,
Thank you for the additional information that the driver did contact her. Where did you get this source of information? The girl was out at 10AM, because there was no school in Salem on Tuesday due to State Budget Furlough days had the schools still closed.

Salem Breakfast on Bikes said...

Thanks for clarifying on the furlough day!

Even without that, though, we have no idea whether she might have been home schooled or had other reason to be out. Asking why she was out, even rhetorically, looks like it could be a maneuver to displace blame from the adult driving the car to the child.

More crucially, under what circumstances is it ever ok to leave the scene with a ten-year-old child after hitting them with a car, even if you think they are unhurt, or the child, certainly scared, says they are ok, without first delivering them to a parent and passing along one's contact and insurance information to the parent? I think most people would say there no circumstances under which this is ok to do. Our duty as a driver and concerned citizen necessarily entails extra care for a child - not at all the same level of care we might exercise with another adult in a car after a minor fender-bender.

So it's difficult to know what to make of your comment, Richard. Perhaps I'm misreading, and if so, I apologize, but it looks like you could be trying to absolve the driver.

Kathy said...

Even if the woman stopped and asked her if she was ok, she was a little girl. She shhould have stayed with her helped her home, that little girl was not ok, she was injured..Shame on you whoever you are that hit that poor baby..

Salem Breakfast on Bikes said...

The updated KGW story says:

'Gwyn was treated at a local hospital for a broken toe, scrapes and bruising, then released.

She said that after she was hit, she had a bizarre exchange with the driver before the woman fled.

"She barely stopped and asked if I was okay," said Tiffani. "I said, 'kind of,' and she kept going.""

Amy Baron said...

I'm so riddled with all the different versions of story here. I just hope that every road have CCTV cameras. That way, every situation can be monitored. Plus, it can get the car description, such as the plate number. This can serve as evidence or documentation of what happened.