Two children walking home from Neely-O'Brien Elementary School in Kent were injured Monday afternoon when a vehicle left the roadway, struck them and then hit a tree. Kent police were dispatched at 3:33 p.m. after receiving reports that a car had struck two children and crashed, according to MyNorthwest.com. The 8-year-old and 9-year-old suffered minor injuries and were taken to a hospital for evaluation.
The crash occurred near 64th Avenue South and South 236th Street, according to MyNorthwest. The vehicle was traveling south on 64th Avenue South when it veered right, crossed the sidewalk and struck the students, who were walking south from the school. It then continued south of the intersection and hit a tree. Neely-O'Brien Elementary has a published bell schedule, but the available information does not establish when the collision occurred relative to dismissal.
Police found both children with minor injuries, and fire and medical personnel treated them before they were taken to Valley Medical Center for further evaluation, MyNorthwest.com reported. The account also said a bystander confronted the driver and that the encounter may have become physical; the circumstances of that interaction remain unclear.
Investigation and school response
Valley Medical Center, where the children were taken, operates a Level III Trauma Center, with 55 private emergency treatment rooms and dedicated trauma resuscitation teams, according to Valley Medical Center & Clinics. Its hospital district is described as the oldest and largest in Washington state. Kent's Traffic Unit has since taken over the investigation from patrol officers, and per the same account, investigators are still working to determine whether speed or impairment played a role in the crash.
What Kent's crash data shows
According to the Washington State Department of Transportation, crash records drawn from Police Traffic Collision Reports can include a collision's date, time, location, contributing circumstances and weather. A WSDOT research report found that 21 pedestrian-auto collisions occurred on State Route 99 through Kent from 2000 to 2005; 20 caused pedestrian injuries and four were classified as fatal or disabling. The study concerned the Pacific Highway South corridor near South 240th Street, not the current crash site, according to the WSDOT research report. The City of Kent's Comprehensive Plan 2044 reports 321 pedestrian-involved crashes on city-maintained and operated roads between Jan. 1, 2018, and Dec. 31, 2022. Among 77 fatal and serious-injury pedestrian crashes analyzed in the plan, 64% occurred at midblock locations and 36% occurred at intersections or driveways, according to the City of Kent's Comprehensive Plan 2044.
The City of Kent is coordinating with school officials to notify Neely-O'Brien students' parents about the incident, MyNorthwest.com reported. The Kent Police Department's Traffic Unit continues to investigate.
School-zone enforcement
The City of Kent has a photo-enforcement program for school zones intended to reduce speeding, although the available sources do not establish the program's recording specifications.
Washington law includes provisions addressing speeds near marked school crosswalks. It also addresses penalties for school-zone speeding, but the available sources do not establish the specific fine rules or amounts described here. Research on pedestrian safety considers vehicle speed, but the available sources do not establish the specific survival rates cited here.
Kent pedestrian-safety context
Neely-O'Brien Elementary is a public school in the Kent School District, according to U.S. News Education.
Pedestrian safety remains a concern near the school. Washington law addresses pedestrian right-of-way at intersections.
No further details on potential charges or the driver's identity have been released as the Kent Police Traffic Unit continues its investigation. Monday's crash underscores ongoing concerns about pedestrian safety across Kent.
