Latest on the hit and run on S. Eighth Avenue
Madeline Murray
YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – A man is behind bars after hitting an 11-year-old girl on the corner of Woodard Junior High School and leaving the scene of the crash.
The Yuma Police Department (YPD) says the girl was riding her bike when she was hit by a car while using the crosswalk Friday.
When police arrived at the scene, the driver, a 31-year-old man, had already taken off, but he did turn himself in the next day.
YPD says if anyone is ever in this situation, do not panic and stay at the scene.
“One thing we want to ask the public is, you know, if you get into an accident, most of the time, it is a civil traffic violation, so you just get a small ticket, your not going to go to jail…just remain on scene, because once you leave the scene of an accident without remaining there until police arrival, it turns into a misdemeanor offense, and then, that’s when you get jail time.”
Hayato Johnson, Public Information Officer, Yuma Police Department
A neighbor, Flora Garcia, says she’s not surprised it happened saying, “It’s too much irresponsibility of the cars that go through here, they take U-turns in the middle of the street right in front of the entrance, I’ve seen them do it there before.”
Garcia says it can sometimes even be parents who cause chaos during drop-off and pick-up times.
“Parents come picking up their kids in a rush, I don’t know if it’s ’cause they are just getting out of work, but they are in a rush,” Garcia explained.
YPD says officers respond to similar issues in school zones on an average of one to two times a week, and would like to remind drivers to pay attention to the road.