A car struck and injured a 12-year-old Kent girl as she rode her bicycle Thursday morning to Mill Creek Middle School.
Kent Police interviewed a 58-year-old Kent woman in connection with the accident. She reportedly was driving the car that struck the girl and left the scene, according to a Kent Police media release.
The woman has been released pending completion of the investigation and a review of the facts of the case by the Kent city attorney. It is anticipated that the review will occur sometime in the next week, at which time a determination will be made regarding potential charges against the driver.
Kent Police are not naming the driver as no charges have yet been filed.
Police and firefighters responded to the 900 block of North Central Avenue around 7:45 a.m. after receiving reports that a bicyclist had been struck by a car, according to a Kent Police media release. They arrived to find the girl with injuries to her head and torso. The vehicle involved in the collision was gone.
Witnesses told officers that the girl was riding her bicycle south on the sidewalk, apparently headed to nearby Mill Creek Middle School. As she entered onto the driveway, a vehicle traveling west from Kent Memorial Park collided with the youth, knocking her to the ground and dragging her into busy North Central Avenue.
Paramedics transported the girl to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. Officials described her injuries were serious but not life-threatening.
The child came to rest in the street, while the car drove away. Witnesses were able to provide a detailed description of the car, to include the vehicle license number as well as a description of the driver.
Investigators quickly located the car’s owner and were able to identify a family member as the driver.
With the assistance of the family, they were able to contact the woman at her workplace. She turned herself in to officers at the Kent Police station where traffic investigators interviewed her. She has also made her car available for inspection by police.
Additional review will also be done to determine if area lighting, weather, or visibility may have contributed to the collision.
Kent Assistant Police Chief Pat Lowery said “our goal is to have a complete picture of the events leading to this collision before we make a decision on charges.”
There is no evidence that driver impairment or recklessness was a factor in the crash.
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