Girl, 13, struck by vehicle on her way to school bus in Eastport
A 13-year-old girl was hit by a vehicle Monday morning in Eastport as she crossed Montauk Highway to board a school bus, officials said.
The girl, a student at Eastport-South Manor Junior-Senior High School, was transported to a hospital with unspecified injuries. She had been crossing the highway near Eastport Elementary School at 6:45 a.m. when a vehicle heading west struck her, said Eastport-South Manor Central School District officials in a notice to parents and guardians.
Southampton Town Police said the school bus was pulling away with its stop sign retracted to head east on Montauk Highway when the victim was hit.
The driver who struck the girl remained at the scene and was not cited or deemed at fault, according to police.
The girl was conscious when transported to a hospital for treatment. She was accompanied to the hospital by her mother, district officials said. Information about the victim's condition, or details about the driver who hit her, was not immediately available.
School district officials said they requested copies of video footage from Montauk Bus Company, the school bus operator.
“It is our understanding that the stop sign connected to the bus was extended at the time of the incident and its warning lights were flashing,” said Superintendent Joseph A. Steimel in the notice.
“However, we [are] hopeful that the additional video footage will prove to be helpful on both our and the Southampton Town Police Department's investigation.”
Late Monday, the police were not immediately available for comment.
All Eastport-South Manor school buses have stop-arm cameras.
School district officials were investigating why the victim and the school bus were on opposite sides of Montauk Highway. None of the scheduled bus routes require a student to cross the highway, district officials said.
Counselors visited classrooms Monday to speak to students and offer any additional help.
John Asbury is a breaking news and general assignment reporter. He has been with Newsday since 2014 and previously worked at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California.
