A Salem High School student was struck by a vehicle while riding his bike to class this week in Virginia Beach, and the driver did not stop. The teenager, cut and bruised, picked himself up, walked his bicycle the rest of the way to campus, and said nothing until a teacher noticed he was bleeding.
The student had left his home in the Salem Woods neighborhood around 6:50 a.m. and was struck as he turned onto Boxford Road, a connector that leads to Lynnhaven Parkway, according to WTKR. His mother, Katie Ricotta, said the driver did not stop after the collision. Her son was left in shock, suffering cuts and bruises, but he kept moving toward Salem High rather than turning back.
A Teacher Spots the Blood
Once at school, a teacher noticed the boy was bleeding and staff brought him to the front office, where he explained what happened to the school's resource officer. Ricotta said her son believed the driver was older, though he was not able to provide a detailed description of the vehicle. Virginia Beach Police are investigating the hit-and-run, Ricotta said officers told her.
Ricotta said her son should be able to travel safely to and from school, and that speeding is a persistent problem where she lives. “We live in a nice neighborhood. It's safe here, we have lots of nice neighbors, and people drive too fast,” she told the outlet, urging drivers to slow down and pay attention. Under the Code of Virginia, a driver involved in an injury crash who fails to stop, identify themselves, and render aid can face a Class 5 felony, carrying one to ten years in prison or up to twelve months in jail and a $2,500 fine, according to Virginia law.
Before Sunrise, Kids Are Already on the Road
The timing of the crash points to a structural problem that extends well beyond one street corner. Virginia Beach City Public Schools high schools, including Salem High at 1993 Sun Devil Drive, start classes at 7:20 a.m., which means students who walk or bike are often commuting between 6:40 and 6:50 a.m. in low-light conditions, per Virginia Beach City Public Schools' own published hours. That bell schedule has been debated locally for years; the Virginia Beach School Board voted unanimously back in November 2018 to move high school start times later to improve student safety and health, but transportation constraints have kept the early schedule in place.
District 7 school board member Matt Cummings, who lives in the Salem Woods neighborhood, said he frequently sees students walking to school as early as 6:40 a.m. “It's just disheartening to hear about a kid trying to get to school safely being hit,” he said, and he wants to explore ways to improve safety for students traveling to and from campus. Cummings said he hoped the community would slow down and pay attention to children.
Who Actually Controls the Crossing Guards
Virginia Beach City Council member Cash Green is looking into whether a crossing guard can be placed near Salem High School, saying such a guard could help protect students in the area. But that decision does not rest with the school district. School crossing guard staffing and location assignments across Virginia Beach fall under the authority of the Virginia Beach Police Department. Any new assignment near Salem High would be handled within the police department.
Virginia Beach Police Department policy sets out how the city evaluates crossing-guard requests: the Special Operations Bureau commander considers traffic volume and speed, street layout, sidewalks and traffic controls, as well as how many students use the crossing and their ages. The policy also calls for annual reviews of locations that already have guards, with input from traffic engineering and the school system. Those criteria make the proposed guard a site-specific safety decision, not an automatic response to a request. The department’s crossing-guard policy assigns the final allocation decision to the bureau commander.
A crossing guard was struck by a car and hospitalized during morning drop-off on Dam Neck Road. The driver remained at the scene and received a reckless driving summons.
Risks for Cyclists on Virginia Roads
The Salem High case highlights the risks cyclists face on Virginia roads, including in Virginia Beach.
A 2024 state crash report counted 690 bicycle-involved crashes, including 25 that killed a rider and 621 that caused injuries; 138 riders were seriously injured. The totals put the Salem student’s crash in a broader statewide safety picture, though the figures do not identify the circumstances of each collision or show how many involved children riding to school. Virginia’s 2024 Traffic Crash Facts lists the statewide counts.
Motor vehicle crashes remain a concern across Virginia. Virginia Beach Police are asking anyone with information about the hit-and-run that injured the Salem High student to contact the department.
