An adult woman and two young children are in stable condition after they were hit by a truck while crossing the street on their way to Mendenhall River Community School.
It happened Thursday morning before sunrise. According to Juneau Police Department spokesperson Lt. Krag Campbell, the incident was an unfortunate accident.
“It looks like the preliminary investigation doesn’t show that there was any violation on behalf of the driver,” he said in an interview Friday morning.
The woman is 19, the children are 3 and 7. Campbell said their injuries were not life-threatening, but the 7-year-old was medevaced out of Juneau to receive further medical treatment in Seattle on Thursday.
According to a GoFundMe created by the children’s aunt, the 7-year-old suffered a fracture in his right hip. The post also identifies the 19-year-old as the children’s older cousin.
Campbell said the three were not crossing the street at a marked crosswalk. The male driver, who had two children in the truck with him, told police that he attempted to slam on his brakes to avoid hitting them as they crossed the street on Back Loop Road, but was unable to do so in time.
Campbell said the driver has not been charged and it appears the person is not at fault. He urged residents who travel outside near roadways during dark hours to wear clothing or gear that is highly visible to drivers.
“Whether it’s clothing or equipment you can wear, just so other people like drivers and vehicles can see you better,” he said. “It’s really important to pay attention to what’s going on outside of you and to be looking both ways before crossing the street. Do that in a well-lit area, ideally, in a marked crosswalk, and stop and make sure that drivers see you.”
