The girl was walking north across Sperry Avenue on the east side of the intersection and had almost reached a center island when a green Toyota Tundra ran into her at 7:45 a.m., said Deputy Robert Banks of Patterson Police Services.
She only suffered some bruises and cuts to her face, and was released from Doctors Medical Center in Modesto later in the day after being transported there via ambulance, Banks said.
The Tundra, driven by a 72-year-old man, was heading south on American Eagle Avenue when it made a left-hand turn onto Sperry Avenue and hit the girl in the middle of the road, Banks said. Though there was no crosswalk on the side of the street where she was walking, a green walk sign was lit, indicating she had the right to cross, he said.
While the driver said he thought he was driving at about 10 mph to 15 mph, other witnesses thought he was traveling at about 20 mph to 25 mph, Banks said. Regardless, it appears the driver was well within the speed limit, Banks said.
The girl did not have any pain when medics assessed her, and she was only transported to the hospital as a precautionary measure, said Division Chief Jeff Gregory of the Patterson Fire Department.
“It was a low impact of speed,” Gregory said. “She appeared to have non-serious injuries."
Banks said the driver, who had not noticed the girl walking across the street before making the left-hand turn, will be issued a citation for failing to yield to a pedestrian.
The driver was cooperative with authorities, Gregory said.
The incident caused traffic to back up at the intersection during the busy morning hours when many parents are dropping their children off at school, Gregory said.
Banks said it should serve as a reminder for drivers to slow down and take extra precautions, particularly in the morning hours when traffic is heavy just before the start of the school day.
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