The driver of a car who reportedly struck and injured a 12-year-old Kent girl as she rode her bicycle the morning of Nov. 1 to Mill Creek Middle School told police she didn’t realize she had hit a bicyclist.
Kent Police interviewed a 58-year-old Kent woman in connection with the accident. She reportedly was driving the car that struck the girl and left the scene of the accident because she didn’t know she had hit a bicyclist.
The woman has been released pending completion of the investigation and a review of the facts of the case. Kent Police are not naming the driver as no charges have yet been filed.
Robert Constant, Kent Police traffic sergeant, said in an email that the woman thought she had struck a muffler or hubcap but did not stop to check.
“There is no indication of drugs or alcohol being involved and the driver submitted to a full impairment evaluation to include a blood draw,” Constant said.
The driver is a long-time Kent resident, has no criminal history or negative driving history and was cooperative in the investigation, Constant said.
“The driver was not arrested based on her cooperation and because she represented no flight risk or present danger to the community,” he said.
Constant said he expects to decide by the end of the week whether to pursue any charges against the woman. As of Tuesday, he was waiting to review medical records and the toxicology report.
Police and firefighters responded to the 900 block of North Central Avenue around 7:45 a.m. after receiving reports that a bicyclist had been struck by a car, according to a Kent Police media release. They arrived to find the girl with injuries to her head and torso. The vehicle involved in the collision was gone.
Witnesses told officers that the girl was riding her bicycle south on the sidewalk, apparently headed to nearby Mill Creek Middle School. As she entered onto the driveway, a vehicle traveling west from Kent Memorial Park collided with the youth, knocking her to the ground and dragging her into busy North Central Avenue.
Paramedics transported the girl to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. Officials described her injuries as serious but not life-threatening.
The child came to rest in the street, while the car drove away. Witnesses were able to provide a detailed description of the car, to include the vehicle license number as well as a description of the driver.
Investigators quickly located the car’s owner and were able to identify a family member as the driver.
With the assistance of the family, they were able to contact the woman at her workplace. She turned herself in to officers at the Kent Police station where traffic investigators interviewed her. She also made her car available for inspection by police.
Kent Assistant Police Chief Pat Lowery said “our goal is to have a complete picture of the events leading to this collision before we make a decision on charges.”
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