Pickup hits girl at bus stop

WASILLA — A 10-year-old girl was in the hospital Friday afternoon after a pickup struck her near a bus stop along Edlund Road, officials say.

The girl, a fourth-grade student of Snowshoe Elementary School, was waiting for bus 77 to approach a stop at the intersection of Edlund and Weeping Birch Street with yellow lights flashing, authorities said. Witnesses told state troopers the girl began to cross the road while the yellow lights were flashing, and was struck by the truck, according to troopers.

LifeMed Alaska flew the girl to Providence Alaska Medical Center, where she was stable but undergoing surgery Friday afternoon, according to Mat-Su Borough Emergency Services Deputy Director Clint Vardeman.

Alaska State Troopers spokesperson Megan Peters said the incident was reported to troopers at 8:51 a.m., and medics from Mat-Su Borough Emergency Services were dispatched a few minutes earlier.

The silver 2007 Chevrolet pickup rested in the ditch along the road and two school buses were present at the scene of the collision Friday morning. Officials at the scene said the road would likely be closed most of the day.

“The driver is cooperating with us,” Peters said.

Emergency vehicles cleared the area about 9:30 a.m., Vardeman said. Troopers stayed behind for a few hours to map the scene for their investigation, according to Peters. They also drew the driver’s blood, according to the media release.

Troopers had also publicly identified the driver late in the day Friday. However, because no criminal charges have yet been filed in the incident, the Frontiersman isn’t repeating that identification.

Administrators have gone to Snowshoe to assist the school staff, and principal Carol Boatman helped shepherd other students at the stop to school, said Mat-Su Borough School District spokeswoman Catherine Esary.

Collisions between students and vehicles are rare, Esary said.

“That is a testament to the safe driving of our school bus drivers,” she said. “We know the weather’s a factor in all of our lives. People are conscientious drivers because we do care about each other in the Valley.”

Troopers were mapping the scene for investigative purposes, Peters said.

School officials were recommending parents of Snowshoe Elementary Students review bus safety rules, Esary said.

Emergency services personnel may also become involved with counseling as a result of the incident. A team composed of fellow responders and trained therapists, called a critical incident response team, could be made available to deal with fallout for first responders, some of whom have children of their own, Vardeman said.

“Any time that a child is involved, the emotions are heightened,” he said.

Contact Brian O’Connor at 352-2269 or brian.oconnor@frontiersman.com.