16-year-old recovering after hit by 18-year-old driver

Driver found not at fault say NCHP

NEW HANOVER COUNTY, NC (WWAY) – A 16-year-old girl is expected to be OK after she was hit by an SUV driven by an 18-year-old female just before 6 p.m. on Tuesday.

According to the North Carolina Highway Patrol, the driver was headed South on North College Rd. near Laney High School when the teen pedestrian entered the roadway and “failed to yield to traffic”.

Michael Pickett is a student at Laney, he said it’s not uncommon to see students dart into the roadway near the school.

“I’ve witnessed a few close calls, I’ve seen people run, and cars just fly right passed them, it’s crazy, I don’t know, students need to be more careful about it, and you know,” he said.  “It’s a very serious thing, it’s dangerous, and I don’t think they should be doing it in the first place.”

Highway Patrol urges pedestrians to use extreme caution while walking on the shoulder of College Rd., and added walking in the roadway is illegal.

Pickett said students are often seen walking on the shoulder of College Rd. to get to area restaurants, among other reasons.

“A lot of the kids go back and forth, and hang out with their friends, or just stuff like that and sometimes they don’t pay attention to the roads, and it’s really busy out here,” he said.

According to NCHP, peak traffic on that stretch of road is from 7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. and from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., and crossing guards are on duty at the entrance of Laney at the start and end of school days.

The victim was visibly injured when first responders arrived, she was taken to Novant New Hanover Regional Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries, according to NCHP. The driver was not ticketed or found at fault.