As the leaves change and the air cools, New York City area children are back in school. Much like their parents, many area students walk or use public transportation to get to and from school. Recently, what began as a normal walk to school for three Queens students quickly turned into a nightmare as they were run over by a speeding SUV.
Surveillance footage of the terrifying car accident shows the moment when the SUV, driven by a 40-year-old father who was dropping off his daughter for school, barreled into the three girls. The girls, two of whom are 13 and one 14, all suffered severe injuries as they lay pinned under the SUV.
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As witnesses rushed to help free the girls, several bystanders physically lifted the SUV while others pulled the girls out from under the vehicle. The father of one of the victims relayed that his daughter was in critical condition following the accident and suffered a serious spinal injury. A relative of one of the other victims said the young girl suffered a traumatic brain injury as well as a spinal cord injury.
Neither the 40-year-old driver of the SUV or his daughter was injured in the accident. According to the police report, the man mistakenly applied his foot to the accelerator instead of the brake when attempting to drop his daughter off near her school. Police do not believe that drugs or alcohol played a factor in the accident or that it was intentional in any way.
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While the official cause of the accident may be in question, there is no doubt that the lives of the three young girls impacted will forever be changed. Severe injuries to the spine and head like those suffered by the girls, are often permanent and debilitating in nature. It’s likely the driver of the SUV will face criminal charges as well as civil charges.
Source: New York Daily News, “SUV plows into 5 students,” Sep. 13, 2013
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