Five children hospitalized after being hit by van in Northern California crosswalk
Five children were airlifted to hospitals after being hit by a van Wednesday morning in Pollock Pines, authorities said.
A man driving an appliance van on Pony Express Trail around 10:40 a.m. struck five “elementary school-aged children,” all of whom were reported to have been within a crosswalk near Willow Street, said Lt. Rick Hatfield of the California Highway Patrol’s Placerville area office. All five children were injured and airlifted to hospitals for treatment, he said.
“The exact extent of injuries at this point is unknown,” Hatfield said.
The driver stopped at the scene and cooperated with authorities. Speed, drugs and alcohol are not suspected as factors, according to Hatfield.
The incident took place on Pony Express Trail in front of a True Value hardware store.
The El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office, which assisted with traffic control, in a social media post asked motorists to avoid the area late Wednesday morning and instructed parents picking up their children from the area to park at a nearby Safeway grocery store.
The roadway fully reopened before 1 p.m., sheriff’s officials said.
The incident remains under investigation.
This story was originally published May 31, 2023 at 1:28 PM.
