MOUNT HEALTHY, Ohio — A motorist was cited and authorities are speaking out after police said a second Tri-State teen in as many days was struck while walking to school.
Mt. Healthy police told WCPO there have been a number of collisions over the last year in the vicinity of Hamilton Ave. and Adams Road near Mt. Healthy High School.
One of those collisions occurred around 6:45 a.m. Wednesday, when a 16-year-old boy was hit by a car that failed to yield while turning right on red, according to Mt. Healthy Police Sgt. Greg Nolte. The boy was had a walk signal and was walking in the crosswalk at the time, Nolte said.
Now, the school district’s assistant superintendent said officials are considering adding another security guard at the intersection before and after school hours.
.@WCPO RIGHT NOW: Another Pedestrian struck at Hamilton and Adams in Mt Healthy. Victim's condition unknown. pic.twitter.com/ct6zSQzVEG
— Timyka Artist (@WCPOTimyka) February 11, 2016
Currently, the first security officer for the intersection arrives around 7:45 a.m.
Parent Patricia Rineair told WCPO she’s stopped letting her kids walk to school.
“I don’t let my kids walk to school because of the fact that driver’s don’t pay attention,” she said. “I’ve seen too many close calls.”
But Noble said the responsibility lies in both the drivers and the kids walking.
“It’s extremely important to get the word out,” he told WCPO. “Both drivers of the vehicles need to be attentive, and kids have to be attentive to know that the cars, if they do not seem them, will not be stopping for them obviously.”
Another issue, police said, is that the intersection’s no turn on red rule only goes into effect at 7 a.m. Nolte said the city council could consider making that effective at 6 a.m.
The boy involved in the crash suffered minor injuries.
WCPO's Tom McKee contributed to this report.
