A St. Albert teenager suffered minor injuries when she was hit by a van while crossing the street in a marked crosswalk Monday morning.
The 13-year-old girl was crossing Hogan Road from Newmarket Way in North Ridge, in a crosswalk adjacent to J.J. Nearing Catholic Elementary School, shortly before 8 a.m. when she was struck by a southbound Honda Odyssey van.
The girl, who was on her way to school at the time of the collision, was transported by ambulance to the Stollery Children’s Hospital in Edmonton before being released with what are believed to be minor injuries.
“Our belief at that point in time is that the driver just didn’t notice,” said St. Albert RCMP Cpl. Laurel Kading. “It’s a very well-marked crosswalk as in it has the fluorescent crosswalk sign.”
Vehicles were stopped in the northbound lane, as an Audi car yielded to the pedestrian and a school bus picked up students at the bus stop directly north of the crosswalk.
After the van struck the girl, it proceeded across the intersection, colliding with the Audi on the driver’s side. The female driver of the Audi was not injured in the collision.
The 36-year-old female driver of the van was charged with failing to yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk, which carries a $575 fine.
Kading said the area has become quite busy recent years.
“There’s a lot of traffic (and) there’s a lot of pedestrian traffic, especially before school and after school,” she said. “It becomes a very busy area, so the potential then is higher for there to be issues.”
She cautioned drivers to pay attention to their surroundings and take extra care when travelling in heavy-traffic areas in peak times.
