Tragedy Averted in Mt. Lebanon

Commissioner Dan Miller posted the following entry on his blog earlier this evening. I am reposting it here with his permission:

Tonight was like any other Tuesday night. It was my turn to pick my son up from daycare and the two of us drove down Cochran Road past Mt. Lebanon Auto to turn on to Cedar on our way home. Traffic was heavy but driving was a bit more treacherous because of how dark it was as well as the light precipitation that was falling.

As we turned the corner onto Cedar I saw a woman on the cell phone in the middle of the road blocking one lane of traffic. I turned to the sidewalk corner and saw what looked to be a young girl laying down. She was surrounded by what appeared to be her two younger siblings. I pulled over into the medical office parking lot. It was just me and my son but I was concerned so I pulled the car up as close to her as I safely could, turned on the DVD in the car, and jumped out.

The girl looked to be about 10 years old. She still had her school backpack still on one shoulder. There were a couple other adults who stopped over to help.

The young lady was conscious and kept telling me that a car hit struck her right leg and ankle. She had tears in her eyes but was very brave. She told me her name and I asked her where her mom was and if she knew her phone number. Someone let me borrow their cell phone and I called the mother who lived at the corner of Cochran and Bower Hill.

A doctor from the medical office came outside and I updated him on the information that I was aware of and the condition of the child. Thankfully he checked her out and comforted her.

Within moments the Mt. Lebanon Police arrived and secured the area, and thankfully our full time Mt. Lebanon Fire Department was right behind them complete with medical gear and training.

Of course my son was patiently waiting for me in the car so I could not stay. I tried to reassure the young girl that she was going to be alright and that the police and fire were there to help her. I checked out of the scene and told the police that I would be available for follow up if necessary. Unfortunately I did not see the car that struck her.

This occurred 15 minutes ago. I wanted to write it down while it was still fresh.

I am angry to think that that we have someone who drives our streets, hits a young girl, and then takes off.

I am confident that our police department will do everything they can to find that… person. I have no doubt in that. (Keep in mind that I am not speaking for the police or fire officially on their investigation and I am sure there are more facts they have uncovered.)

As a volunteer firefighter the actions I took were part of my job, but as a resident of Mt. Lebanon I am very proud that all those people stopped to help.

As a Commissioner I am concerned. I have been spending months working on the traffic problem in the 5th Ward and while I feel I have made some progress- it is still not enough.

I am resolved to improve this situation.

Shortly afterward, he posted this update:

I checked in with the Police Watch Commander. The young girl was sent to the hospital. There is a concern that there might be a broken bone in the lower right leg. Thankfully, other than that she was reported to be in good health and handling it well.

The police had a partial description of the car and driver. They also said that there is a good chance that the driver did not notice that he struck the girl. That would of course be a positive, although it does raise the question of whether or not there are safety issues at that intersection if a driver can strike a 10 year old and not notice.