Child, 6, injured in crash at school
By John Joyce
Published in News on February 20, 2014 1:46 PM
A 6-year-old female student at Northwest Elementary School is in stable condition today at Vidant Medical Center in Greenville after an accident involving four cars in the parent pick-up section outside the school Wednesday afternoon.
The student suffered a broken pelvis, bruised liver and a punctured lung when she became wedged between two vehicles, Wayne County Public Schools Assistant Superintendent Dr. Craig McFadden said.
"I have never been to a parking lot wreck that was this involved," N.C. State Highway Patrol Sgt. Jonathan Whitley said.
The accident took place before 3:30 p.m. Wednesday.
The driver of the vehicle, Marsha Garland, 62, is charged with reckless driving.
Ms. Garland, a grandmother visiting from Ankeny, Iowa, told Whitley she was in town for the week and wanted to pick up her grandchildren from school.
She parked in a grassy area and was reversing her vehicle when the wheels began to spin, McFadden said.
Due to recent heavy rains, the area was slick.
"It was a mudhole," Whitley said.
The Ford F-150 Ms. Garland was driving was unfamiliar to her, he said.
"We firmly believe that she just panicked and hit the gas instead of the brake," Whitley said.
She traveled between 125 to 150 feet and caused an estimated $25,000 in damage.
"I call that a conservative estimate considering it was a parking lot wreck," he said.
He did not say between which two vehicles the student was trapped, but did say she was "sandwiched in there pretty good."
One other student, a boy, received minor injuries, as did two parents, none of whom were transported by EMS, McFadden said.
One parent did say she would seek medical attention from a private doctor. She ended up at Urgent Care with a broken finger or hand, Whitley said.
Wayne County EMS transported the unidentified student to Wayne Memorial Hospital where she was received into the trauma unit. She was then transported to Vidant.