Petaluma Girl Riding Bike Struck On Crosswalk
PETALUMA (BCN) -- A 5-year-old girl suffered minor injuries Monday morning when she was struck by a car while riding her bicycle in a Petaluma crosswalk on the way to school, police said.
The girl and at least two other children and a parent were riding their bikes across North McDowell Boulevard at Sunrise Parkway in a crosswalk enhanced with flashing yellow lights when she was hit by a four-door 1982 Chevrolet sedan at about 7:45 a.m., Petaluma police Sgt. Ken Savano said.
The students were heading to McDowell Elementary School at 421 S. McDowell Blvd. about eight blocks away, Savano said.
The driver of the Chevrolet, 96-year-old Vada Chambers of Petaluma, was in the left lane of northbound North McDowell Boulevard approaching the intersection with Sunrise Parkway just before the accident occurred, Savano said.
Chambers saw the flashing lights and began to slow down when she saw the group of students crossing from her left to her right, Savano said.
The group was already across the street and almost to the curb but Chambers did not see the last girl, who was trailing behind the other children, Savano said.
Chambers drove forward and didn't see the girl in time to stop, Savano said.
When police and fire crews arrived, the girl was down in the road and her legs were stuck in the bike she was riding. The bike was trapped beneath the front of the Chevrolet, Savano said.
She suffered minor injuries and was treated at a hospital, Savano said.
It was the second accident at that intersection in recent weeks involving a person riding a bicycle across the street, Savano said.
Because the girl was riding her bike in the crosswalk instead of walking it, she is not considered a pedestrian with the right-of-way, Savano said.
"It is important to remind parents and adult bicycle riders that when crossing the street in a marked crosswalk they must walk their bicycles, and even then use caution when crossing the street, checking lane by lane for right-of-way traffic to insure their safety," Savano said.
Drivers should be aware of flashing yellow lights, which are meant to alert them to the presence of pedestrians, he said.
"The flashing yellow lights do not require a driver to stop, they just help the driver to be aware of pedestrians crossing or waiting to cross," Savano said.
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