BENTONVILLE — A Bentonville High School student struck by a school bus at a busy intersection on Southeast 14th Street on Thursday was “still hanging in there” at Mercy Hospital in Springfield, Mo., afternoon, according to district officials.
The 16-year-old girl is in critical condition.
School officials declined to confirm the girl’s name Friday, citing privacy concerns.
The teen was crossing Southeast 14th Street where it intersects with Southeast P Street at 4:15 p.m. when the accident occurred. Bentonville High School releases students at 3:55 p.m.
The first calls of the accident came to the Bentonville Police Department at 4:15 p.m., according to police reports. Paramedics and a Rogers firefighter were on the scene at 4:16 p.m. after being dropped off by an ambulance taking another patient to a hospital, according to reports. Officers were on the scene within three minutes.
By The Numbers
Injuries, Fatalities
In 2008, 4,378 pedestrians were killed in traffic crashes in the U.S. Another 69,000 were injured. That averages to one pedestrian killed every two hours and one pedestrian injured every eight minutes.
Source: Pedestrian And Bicycle Information Center
Southeast P Street dead-ends at a portion of the South Bentonville Trail that connects to the back side of Bentonville High School.
The intersection doesn’t have a marked crosswalk, but does have a button attached to the four stoplight posts alerting pedestrians when it is safe to cross the street. However, the crossing button on the south pole, nearest where the girl was hit, was broken Thursday and remained broken Friday.
The silver button part of the device was missing, though a pedestrian could stick a long, narrow object, such as a pen, into the pole to make the signal work.
The Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department coordinates with the city to maintain 14th Street, which is also Arkansas 102. David Nilles, public information specialist with the state department, said the city would have been responsible for striping a crosswalk or maintaining crossing buttons.
Mike Churchwell, city transportation director, said the city couldn’t comment on the incident pending a police investigation. The Police Department has yet to release any records or reports associated with the incident. Lt. John Hubbard said the department is continuing to speak with witnesses.
The bus contained 24 students, 19 of which were from Lincoln Junior High School. The remaining five were from Bentonville High School. The students were held on the bus for around 45 minutes after the incident Thursday while investigators questioned them on events leading up to the event.
Mary Ley, School District communication director, said one of those students stayed home from school today because she was still “shaken up.”
Jonathan Guthrie, Lincoln principal, met with the students who saw the accident to make sure they were OK, Ley said. He also talked with their parents.
Counselors were available for students at the high school to talk about what happened. Kim Garrett, principal, said the mood was “subdued” in the girl’s classes Friday.
The woman driving the bus has been suspended with pay pending the outcome of the police investigation, Ley said. The driver was immediately questioned and taken for drug and alcohol tests after the incident. Ley said she doesn’t believe any citations were issued.
The incident is the second bus-related problem this year for the district, which transports students 1.4 million miles each year. A special-needs bus had a “tire issue” Aug. 31, but no one was injured, Ley said.
While several district buses are equipped with cameras, the one involved in Thursday’s accident wasn’t, Ley said.