Skyline High School student hit by car; not seriously injured
A Skyline High School student walking in the area of Miller and Maple roads in Ann Arbor was hit by a car this morning but not seriously injured.
The girl was the second Ann Arbor high school student struck by a vehicle in two days.
Ann Arbor schools spokeswoman Liz Margolis said a school bus driver saw the accident, which occurred about 7:35 a.m. and put the girl on the bus to wait until police and school officials arrived at the scene. Another bus was being sent to take the other students on the bus, who attend Emerson School in Lodi Township, to their school, Margolis said.
Margolis said it wasn’t yet clear how the accident happened or whether it was related to road conditions following a light snowfall.
Thursday, a Huron High School student was injured when he was hit by a car while heading toward a bus stop in Pittsfield Township
Comments
Savannah
Sat, Jan 28, 2012 : 5:50 a.m.
I just wanted to say that it is completely unfair that people are assuming that the student was texting, listening to music, etc because that's not always the case. Just because the student was a teenager, that does not mean that the said student was doing any of those distracting things. In fact, that student is my best friend and I'm so thankful that the student was safe and came to school to continue learning with his/her friends.
jcj
Sat, Jan 28, 2012 : 7:49 p.m.
Savannah My bad! Free Pass for you!
Jeff Gaynor
Sat, Jan 28, 2012 : 5:09 p.m.
jcj: It's Friday night! High School students just finished Finals, and have several days off. Give her a break.
jcj
Sat, Jan 28, 2012 : 2 p.m.
What are you doing up so late? But I applaud you for your stance and Agree.
Swimmer
Sat, Jan 28, 2012 : 3:55 a.m.
My kid was on the bus that witnessed the accident. The students on the bus were mostly Skyline students (maybe a couple of Emerson). The student was walking past the former Marathon station when she was struck.
Joe
Fri, Jan 27, 2012 : 7:47 p.m.
With the childhood obesity epidemic in America, I see walking to school as a positive step in the right direction. I do think pedestrians should unplug the headphones and look up when crossing the street. Likewise drivers need to be aware of pedestrians. I look forward to the day when every accident investigation includes a cyber check to see if the driver was on the phone or texting, and if so, stiff fines levied.
swcornell
Fri, Jan 27, 2012 : 7:01 p.m.
Come on people, when walking along a road in the dark carry a flashlight!
jcj
Fri, Jan 27, 2012 : 9:57 p.m.
There are sidewalks there. No need or indication the student was walking in the street!
aareader
Fri, Jan 27, 2012 : 4:47 p.m.
Where at Maple and Miller? Was it near or in the area of the round-abouts?
jcj
Fri, Jan 27, 2012 : 6:13 p.m.
From what I saw it looked more to me like the student was walking north on Maple past the west to east crosswalk. More near the entrance to the strip mall. As if the driver was turning in to the strip mall with the student crossing the drive. I do not know but that is the way it looked.
LSB
Fri, Jan 27, 2012 : 5:54 p.m.
Right WS Mom, to clarify my earlier comment, this accident was nowhere near the roundabouts. It was way back by the corner of Miller and Maple streets.
West Side Mom
Fri, Jan 27, 2012 : 5:41 p.m.
Roundabouts are on the north side of M-14. The Maple/Miller intersection is south of there.
LSB
Fri, Jan 27, 2012 : 4:59 p.m.
I saw the bus pulled to the side of the road on my way driving my kid to Skyline. It was just north of the Maple-Miller intersection. From the location of the bus, it could have been that the student was hit as she was crossing from west to east across Maple. There's a LOT of traffic, and a lot of impatient drivers, at that time of day headed into and out of Skyline. On my way back, I saw the ambulance, fire truck, and firefighters closing up the scene. Let me express my appreciation to the firefighters, ambulance personnel and especially the bus driver who spotted the problem and pulled over to help the student. My question is, what happened to the driver who hit the student? I didn't see any cars pulled over or any police.
Sandy Castle
Fri, Jan 27, 2012 : 3:30 p.m.
And before there are too many posts saying that kids (these ARE high schoolers) shouldn't be allowed to walk to school, get help for your enabling behavior now, BEFORE you find yourself calling your college-aged kids employers to negotiate their pay and benefit packages. <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/employment/2007-04-23-helicopter-parents-usat_N.htm" rel='nofollow'>http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/employment/2007-04-23-helicopter-parents-usat_N.htm</a>
say it plain
Fri, Jan 27, 2012 : 4:08 p.m.
Cute meme about the helicopter parents, but there are some parts of town where being a pedestrian is very very dangerous. Of course if this were *either* a big ol' city *or* a truly small town, then there wouldn't be quite the same traffic issues and dangerous spots...just the darkness and icy roads would be of some concern to parents of teens, often not a big deal. But sub-urban sprawl-y roads and highway-feeding areas like one has to walk through to get to Skyline can be very very tricky for even wise adults, who can negotiate their own salaries and everything even, but who walking in the cold dark morning, might experience getting hit by a car turning right! Don't you think? Even though it *is* gross to consider parents who might call their college-aged kids' employers to negotiate salaries?!
WalkingJoe
Fri, Jan 27, 2012 : 3:48 p.m.
Thanks Sandy for telling it like it is. To many folks out there want to make it easier for their kids and though well intended they end up wondering why the child can't cope with real life later.
Kara Marie
Fri, Jan 27, 2012 : 3:23 p.m.
Everyone be careful out there!
Sandy Castle
Fri, Jan 27, 2012 : 3:17 p.m.
I have two teenagers and they fInd it difficult to walk, talk, and text at the same time. And they are rarely NOT texting!
Jeff Gaynor
Sat, Jan 28, 2012 : 5:04 p.m.
See: <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/09/opinion/texting-while-walking.html" rel='nofollow'>www.nytimes.com/2012/01/09/opinion/texting-while-walking.html</a>
West Side Mom
Fri, Jan 27, 2012 : 5:40 p.m.
Same could be said about many of the drivers in this town.
DonBee
Fri, Jan 27, 2012 : 3:11 p.m.
It will continue on the rural roads, where there are no sidewalks and narrow shoulders that are plowed. Be thankful we have not had 12-18 inches of snow that force these children on the even narrower shoulder. Not all parents have cars, and not all people live on bus routes.
Jeff Gaynor
Sat, Jan 28, 2012 : 5:03 p.m.
Which leads to the thought that the current culture of driving - my car is my castle, all else be damned - is due for a makeover.
Woman in Ypsilanti
Fri, Jan 27, 2012 : 3:10 p.m.
I wonder if maybe the solution is to start school a little bit later so the students can be walking to school in the daylight.
Jeff Gaynor
Sat, Jan 28, 2012 : 5:01 p.m.
Yes, the solution is so obvious - there are so many reasons you are correct - until you wonder why the change hasn't been made. But do you really think the school board / administration is keeping it this way out of malice? So when you come up with an "obvious" solution, do you also ask, in good faith, why the change hasn't been made? It may be possible that no one has brought your solution to the attention of the decision makers, or that they are a stubborn self-centered lot -- but it's also possible they know - or believe - something you don't.
Cinderella
Fri, Jan 27, 2012 : 5:42 p.m.
I know that my 3 teens that attend Pioneer, and walk most of the time, would NOT be happy about a later start time. That would mean they would be at school much later than 2:30, or 3:30 if they have a 7th hour class. My kids that are in sports have practices that begin at 4 PM. They do enjoy eating dinner, doing homework, and occasionally watching a tv show for some mindless entertainment before showering and going to sleep. IMO, I don't know how they could start high school any later, and be able to fit everything in that they need to do.
say it plain
Fri, Jan 27, 2012 : 3:58 p.m.
Right, someone's truly *thinking* with such a solution, but apparently our school board isn't allowed to 'think' for some reason. It's getting silly. There is so much research indicating that later start times are better for high school kids...teenagers' brains are in need of more sleep. They are *growing* their brains, and the part that takes care of planning/mindfulness/awareness of consequences is one of those parts doing a lot of developing, it seems. But for some reason they are on the early early schedule, when a study done some years ago, so we hear, showed that keeping the kids on *one* later start-time could save money on transportation as well. So, instead, we decide the right thing to do is to eliminate busing to the high schools with the sleepy teen drivers and walkers and with the parents who are in a hurry and sleep-deprived themselves driving in the darkness of the pre-dawn on icy roads. And outsource the drivers. who take the kids on the slick gravel roads with recently added curviness for attempted drainage thereon. That's the "thinking" we've been getting...
ranger007
Fri, Jan 27, 2012 : 3:41 p.m.
Now someone's thinking
A2Girl63
Fri, Jan 27, 2012 : 2:38 p.m.
How is that 1.5mile walk zone working for you AAPS? It was bound to happen. I am thankful both students are ok.
shutthefrtdoor
Fri, Jan 27, 2012 : 2:36 p.m.
I don't agree that stopping kids from walking to school is the answer: I state that lightly. It does seem obvious however that an increased police presence is required. The meer sight of a patrol car will get drivers attention and they will immediately slow down and pay more attention. Jeeze Louise...this is the third incedent...not the second. A Skyline bus was just knocked off the road too.
Jeff Gaynor
Sat, Jan 28, 2012 : 4:56 p.m.
Sure, let's have police on every corner! Sigh.
jcj
Fri, Jan 27, 2012 : 2:36 p.m.
As has been stated ad nauseam recently. Both drivers and pedestrians HAVE to stay alert! Glad there was no serious injury.
5c0++ H4d13y
Fri, Jan 27, 2012 : 2:27 p.m.
The only solution is to stop kids from walking to school. It's for their own good.
Jeff Gaynor
Sat, Jan 28, 2012 : 4:55 p.m.
Yep - Let's just keep them in their cribs.
smokeblwr
Fri, Jan 27, 2012 : 2:13 p.m.
Wow, two kids hit going to school and a school bus rolls over all in the same week. Weird.