Boy hit while attempting to board school bus Thursday in stable condition, driver cited
A 13-year-old boy hit by a vehicle while attempting to board a school bus in Palm Bay Thursday morning was in stable condition Friday afternoon, police said.
The Southwest Middle School student was airlifted to Arnold Palmer Children's Hospital in critical condition Thursday after a vehicle hit him just before 9 a.m. as he was crossing the street at the intersection of Cogan Drive and Reading Street Southeast to get on a school bus, Deputy Fire Chief Kevin Martin at Palm Bay Fire Department said.
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The school bus was stopped with all its lights and warnings on at the time of the crash, Martin said.
Friday afternoon, the boy was downgraded to stable condition, with some broken bones but "overall doing better," said Jeff Spears, a Palm Bay Police Department spokesperson.
The driver, who had been attempting to pass the stopped school bus, has been cited and deemed at fault for the crash, Spears said.
The driver, Richard Tomlinson, will be cited for a crash involving serious bodily injury. Under Florida stautue, the penalty is a $500 fine and three-month suspension of his driver's license, Spears said.
Finch Walker is a Breaking News Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Walker at 321-290-4744 or elwalker@floridatoday.com. Twitter: @_finchwalker
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This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Student in stable condition Friday after being hit previous morning
