Mother of Edina student injured in hit-and-run speaks out; suspect still at large

Authorities in Edina say a young female high school student boarding a school bus was hit by another vehicle Thursday morning. 

Police said the hit-and-run occurred at 8:10 a.m. at the intersection of France Avenue South and Halifax Avenue South. According to Edina Public Schools, the student was boarding the bus with the bus' stop arm extended. Edina police say a car drove around the bus on the right-side shoulder of the road and partly on the sidewalk, and hit the student. Two students had already boarded the full school bus.

“It sounds like the vehicle was traveling at a pretty high rate of speed, struck the student and made no attempt, according to witnesses, to stop and just proceeded southbound and left the scene,” Edina Police Sgt. Aaron White said.

5 EYEWITNESS NEWS spoke to Carly Turner, who says it was her daughter who was hit by the car.

“It's a lot to take in, especially when you're caught off guard and then to find out that the person that is responsible for this didn't even care to help at all,” Turner said. 

Turner asked that her daughter not be identified at this time but said her daughter is in a lot of pain and has trouble walking.

"She's a strong person; she's a strong child. She will get through," she said.

Neighbors were horrified.

"It's just kind of unthinkable to think that you would hit a young girl and not stop to check," said Firdaush Yasmin, who has two younger brothers who wait on France Avenue each day for their school bus.

Lonnie East said his 15-year-old brother was at the same bus stop Thursday morning.

"The car, like, it drove on the sidewalk, and he had to like jump out of the way, and it hit the girl and he was, like, 2 feet away from her, so he said it was really intense," East said.

Another school bus arrived to transport all the students to the school as the bus involved in the incident remained at the scene.

The vehicle in the incident left the scene, according to police. Police believe the vehicle is a Chevy Malibu or Chevy Cruze made by General Motors.

"The person that struck this person obviously knows they did it, and hopefully if they don't come forward somebody that is aware of this situation or sees a vehicle, a black sedan with some damage, or other suspicious activity related to this kind of a thing, they'll be in touch with us," Sgt. White said.

But cars blowing by stopped school buses is all too common in Minnesota. Back in 2018, the Minnesota School Bus Operators Association says drivers documented more than 700 illegal passes in one day.

"The wellbeing of our students is always a focus, and especially on a day like today. Students on other buses at that time may have heard about the accident on the two-way radio. Be aware that your students may wish to process their thoughts and feelings with you at home. Let us know if we can help. Please contact your building principal if you have concerns," Edina Public Schools said in a statement.

The student was taken to an area hospital and released Thursday afternoon. She suffered no major injuries and is now resting at home, according to Edina Public Schools.

"For somebody to not have the regard for her life, to just take off, to continue to go, it's very inhumane,” said Turner. 

The Edina Police Department along with the Minnesota State Patrol is investigating the incident.

If anyone has any information on the vehicle and its whereabouts or its driver, they are asked to call the Edina Police Department at 952-826-1600.