SHEFFIELD VILLAGE, Ohio — Three juveniles were taken to the hospital Monday morning after Sheffield Village police say they were hit by a minivan at Brookside High School in Lorain County.
Police and fire officials responded to the scene around 7:36 a.m. upon receiving 911 calls of the accident at the school, which is located in the 1600 block of Harris Road. Authorities say the trio was in a crosswalk on school property when they were struck in their legs.
All three were taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Their names and ages were not provided.
Officials tell 3News the vehicle involved in the incident, a 2005 Dodge Caravan, was being driven by a 53-year-old woman. She told investigators the sun was in her eyes, so she put down her visor only to see the kids walk in front of her immediately after doing so.
"It's unfortunate," Sheffield-Sheffield Lake City Schools Superintendent Michael Cook said. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and the kids, and also the driver. I don't think anyone's necessarily at fault. I think that it was just really an accident. The kids were coming from weightlifting. They're fantastic kids. It's just an accident that could have been worse, for sure, could have been worse. But you know, any time a student gets hurt on school property is just terrible, and we feel terrible for everyone involved."
Police are expecting the woman to come in for further questioning sometime later this week. She told officers she was driving between 5 and 10 mph near the crosswalk (which has a 5 mph speed limit), but surveillance footage will be reviewed to determine just how fast she was going.
Neither alcohol nor drugs are suspected in the accident, which remains under investigation.
MORE FROM 3NEWS...
- Gas prices drop in Northeast Ohio: Down 16 cents in Akron, 10 cents in Cleveland
- Akron police arrest 16-year-old boy in connection to shooting that killed 47-year-old man
- Pammy Maye makes first court appearance in Ohio Amber Alert case involving death of 5-year-old boy Darnell Taylor: Bond set at combined $4 million
- ODOT installing 'state-of-the-art technology' at 13 sites throughout Ohio in effort to reduce serious crashes: See which locations were selected
- Ohio Turnpike drivers can expect high-visibility patrols and enforcement this year as new traffic safety plan announced