SEATTLE — A 6-year-old girl was taken to the hospital in critical condition after being hit by a vehicle while walking in a Seattle crosswalk Sunday afternoon.
Seattle police said its detectives are investigating the collision that happened in the crosswalk at Rainier Avenue South and South Charles Street. Officials posted about the incident at 12:30 p.m., it is unknown when the crash occurred.
The girl was taken to Harborview Medical Center in critical condition, according to police.
“This corner here, we’ve see too many problems before. People driving and not paying attention to what they do,” said Oscar Perez, who was at a bus stop shortly after the crash. “It’s very sad that people don’t prioritize driving safety.”
Initial information from witnesses and investigators at the scene shows that a woman was driving north along Rainier Ave in the curside lane and did not notice that the light had changed red. While cars in the two adjoining lanes slowed and stopped, the woman continued.
The 6-year-old, who was said to be in the company of an adult woman, stepped off the curb to cross the street but was hit and thrown across the intersection. She initially didn’t show signs of a pulse and CPR was begun before she was rushed to the hospital.
A construction project was underway with cones and equipment block some of the lanes, and preliminary information leads detectives to believe the driver may have been confused with the construction and accidentally struck the child in the crosswalk. A field sobriety test was administered and the woman showed no initial signs of being under the influence.
“Where there are so many apartments, a kid should be able to walk around unaccompanied, safely, without being hit by a car,” said Roy Tripp, who was catching a bus near the intersection.
Investigators were later told the girl has no broken bones because of the impact, but may have bruising or other injuries. Updates on her condition were not immediately available from the hospital.
KOMO News has reached out to authorities to learn more about the crash.
