Three out of five children who were hospitalized after being hit by a van on a pedestrian crossing in Pollock Pines on Wednesday morning suffered severe injuries, officials reported, while the tragic collision is still being investigated. The victims were students of a nearby Montessori nursery, according to the school, community leaders in El Dorado County, and a family member. Three out of the five children were taken to hospitals with serious injuries, said Sergeant Adam Croxton from the Placerville office of the California Highway Patrol on Thursday, while the other two suffered minor injuries. There were no updates on their condition until Thursday morning, Croxton said.
California Highway Patrol (CHP) officials reported that a young 21-year-old man driving an appliance repair van hit five children who were crossing a pedestrian crossing on Pony Express Trail, near Willow Street. The school confirmed that the children were students of Pine Top Montessori School in a statement to KCRA. The school is located on Pony Express Trail, about two blocks east of the accident site. "Our hearts and prayers are with all of our families, and we send our prayers for their speedy recovery," a portion of the school's statement read. "We are in close communication with authorities and parents to address the issue. To ensure the safety of all children, we respectfully ask that only parents and their children visit our facilities."
The cause of the accident is still under investigation. The driver stopped at the scene and cooperated with law enforcement; CHP Placerville spokesperson Lieutenant Rick Hatfield said on Wednesday that speed, drugs, and alcohol did not appear to be factors. On Thursday, a verified GoFundMe page was created for a 4-year-old victim who was hospitalized with "significant head trauma," according to family members. Jillian Leach wrote that her 4-year-old niece, Juniper, was going on a park excursion when she and her classmates were hit by a van.
Juniper was airlifted to a hospital and is in a pediatric intensive care unit, Leach wrote on the crowdfunding page. "She has significant head trauma and has been intubated and put on a ventilator," Leach wrote. "My sister and brother-in-law have been by her side since she arrived." As of noon on Thursday, the GoFundMe page had raised more than $10,000. Brooke Laine, El Dorado County Supervisor who represents Pollock Pines, posted on Facebook on Wednesday that the incident was "a tragic accident involving preschool children."
Pine Top Montessori serves children up to 6 years old, with programs for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers, according to its website. The El Dorado Community Foundation, a Placerville-based nonprofit that raises funds for dozens of organizations, causes, and disaster relief in El Dorado County, established a fund within its community resources fund on Thursday to help the victims of what they called "the tragedy at Pine Top Montessori." "While we don't yet know the full extent of the tragedy, we know there will be economic needs for those affected," the foundation wrote in a press release.
Originally posted at Liga Legal® Abogados
