Boy struck by car, thrown 30 feet
By Kat Russell, Reporter
The Paducah Sun
May 27, 2015
http://www.paducahsun.com/news/local/boy-struck-by-car-thrown-feet/article_b7d0c88a-5ae0-11e7-83a8-10604b9f0f42.html
Kat Russell / The Paducah Sun
An 11-year-old boy was hospitalized Tuesday afternoon after he was struck by a car shortly after getting off a school bus.
McCracken County Sheriff's Deputy David Shepherd said Courtney Woods, 18, of Hickory, was driving a 2003 Dodge Dart north near the 5500 block of Husband Road when Zachary Pittman attempted to cross the road in front of her.
The impact knocked the boy out of his shoes, throwing him about 30 feet.
"To be knocked out of your shoes is not uncommon," Shepherd said. "It's kind of a gruesome thing to think about, but it happens."
Shepherd said a preliminary investigation indicated Woods had stopped for the school bus farther up the road at the top of a hill and waited for the bus to leave.
"She crested the hill and she saw the (bus) lights, so she stopped. Then she sees the (bus) stop sign fold in, so she let her foot off the brake and just coasted down the hill," Shepherd said.
Meanwhile, the deputy said, Zachary had run down a trail near the road and had stepped onto the street when the impact occurred.
Zachary was taken to Lourdes hospital before being airlifted at about 6:30 p.m. to Kosair Children's Hospital in Louisville, Shepherd said. The child suffered multiple injuries, according to the deputy.
Officials are still compiling evidence, but Shepherd said he believed speed was not a factor, and he didn't foresee any charges being filed.
Contact Kat Russell, a Paducah Sun staff writer, at 270-575-8653.
McCracken County Sheriff's Deputy David Shepherd said Courtney Woods, 18, of Hickory, was driving a 2003 Dodge Dart north near the 5500 block of Husband Road when Zachary Pittman attempted to cross the road in front of her.
The impact knocked the boy out of his shoes, throwing him about 30 feet.
"To be knocked out of your shoes is not uncommon," Shepherd said. "It's kind of a gruesome thing to think about, but it happens."
Shepherd said a preliminary investigation indicated Woods had stopped for the school bus farther up the road at the top of a hill and waited for the bus to leave.
"She crested the hill and she saw the (bus) lights, so she stopped. Then she sees the (bus) stop sign fold in, so she let her foot off the brake and just coasted down the hill," Shepherd said.
Meanwhile, the deputy said, Zachary had run down a trail near the road and had stepped onto the street when the impact occurred.
Zachary was taken to Lourdes hospital before being airlifted at about 6:30 p.m. to Kosair Children's Hospital in Louisville, Shepherd said. The child suffered multiple injuries, according to the deputy.
Officials are still compiling evidence, but Shepherd said he believed speed was not a factor, and he didn't foresee any charges being filed.
Contact Kat Russell, a Paducah Sun staff writer, at 270-575-8653.
