Charges and traffic citations are still pending in Overland Park a day after a vehicle disobeyed a red light at West 87th and Grant streets and crashed into four children on the sidewalk.
The accident occurred just after 7:30 a.m. Thursday when the girls were walking to Pawnee Elementary. The girls — three sisters and a friend — were a little more than half a mile away from school when they were hit by the vehicle. Initial police reports indicate that one of the children was in critical condition; she is now in stable condition. Some of the girls have broken bones.
Officer John Lacy with the Overland Park Police Department said the accident occurred when an eastbound vehicle was waiting on a yellow light to turn north on Grant. When the vehicle began to make a left turn at the intersection, two other vehicles traveling westbound disobeyed a red light. One of those vehicles struck the vehicle turning north, and due to the impact, it struck all four children standing at the intersection.
The other vehicle that disobeyed the red light also hit the northbound vehicle turning left.
One of the drivers was injured and went to an area hospital. Lacy said all drivers were treated and released. The accident remains under investigation.
Lacy called the accident a “classic situation” in which all parties were in a hurry to get through the traffic signal, going fast enough to cause an impact that injured pedestrians.
“Stop being in a rush so much; slow down and pay attention to the roadway,” Lacy urged. “And when it comes to distracted driving, put the cell phone down. That’s it. There’s no other way I can sum it up. People are not paying attention to signs from stop signs to traffic signals.”