12-year-old girl walking to school hospitalized in hit-and-run
A 12-year-old girl was struck by a car while walking to school in Orange County, and now the search is on for the driver who failed to stop.
According to police, the girl was struck around 8 a.m. Wednesday morning near McFadden Avenue and Gates Street in Santa Ana.
The young girl was crossing McFadden when the car hit her and kept on going, authorities said.
She was rushed to a nearby hospital and is undergoing surgery, law enforcement officials told KTLA 5’s Orange County Bureau Chief Chip Yost.
As of 3 p.m. Wednesday, the girl had two surgeries and was recovering in the hospital, where she is expected to survive.
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A photo of the car, a dark-colored newer model Honda sedan with possible front-end damage, has been released.
The vehicle has a “low-rider” style build and has a black bumper, according to Santa Ana police.
“Our Traffic Division believes that the vehicle fled eastbound on McFadden,” said Officer Natalie Garcia with the Santa Ana Police Department.
Garcia also said that authorities believe the vehicle sustained heavy damage to the front windshield and front bumper due to the collision.
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A woman who lives nearby said that she saw the girl lying in the street just moments after she was hit.
“I saw a backpack, a shoe, but you could see her little just on the ground laying there,” said nearby resident Siobhan Ponce. “[I heard her] crying in pain…it was hard for her to talk.”
McFadden Avenue was closed in both directions near Gates Street before being reopened by Wednesday afternoon.
Anyone with information on the driver or vehicle is urged to contact the Santa Ana Police Department.
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