A 13-year-old girl was hospitalized after being struck by a car upon exiting a school bus in Pasco County, an incident that raises concerns once again about road safety and adherence to school bus laws. According to FOX 13 News, the Florida Highway Patrol reported that a 59-year-old man from Port Richey was behind the wheel of a Mercury sedan yesterday afternoon when he hit the teen as she crossed the highway.
Driving south on East Road, just past 3 p.m., the girl had just disembarked from a Pasco County school bus near Kodiak Avenue. The bus was stopped with its signal lights activated, a clear indication that children were offloading, but the driver failed to stop, striking the girl in the process. This incident, as reported by WFLA, took place around the same time when local schools typically release their students, a time frame where utmost vigilance is expected from motorists.
The teen sustained non-life-threatening injuries and was promptly taken to a local hospital. Details on the girl's specific injuries or current condition were not disclosed, leaving an air of uncertainty about the full extent of the trauma endured.
There has been no immediate update whether the driver involved has been cited for the collision, leaving a gap in the sequence of accountability following such events. As stated by The Tampa Free Press, the bus was northbound on East Road and in the act of offloading students when the collision occurred at the intersection. Striking the 13-year-old girl, the involved driver has become the subject of an inquiry that will likely address the broader subject of road conduct in proximity to school transportation.
The situation remains under investigation by authorities, and further details are expected to be made available as they surface.
