Driver Flees After Hitting Summit Teen

A Summit High School student was struck by a car that fled the scene shortly after 3 p.m. Monday, Nov. 11, police said.

The victim's family, who asked not to be identified, said the teen was walking home from school when the car, heading east along Kent Place Boulevard, struck the student, throwing her into the intersection of Kent Place Boulevard, DeForest and Norwood Avenues. The driver took off. Another driver who witnessed the accident called police and described the vehicle as a dark blue Audi but did not leave her name.

The victim, who was able to walk home, suffered a sprained thumb, cuts and bruises and was taken by her family for medical treatment. When police arrived at the scene, the victim and the witness were no longer there. 

Police have had little success in locating the driver and the witness who called in the accident because the call came in through a non-emergency line, rather than 911, making it difficult to track, the victim's mother said. She added that she has now instructed her children to stay at the scene of an accident and call the police if they see or are involved in an accident.

Summit Police Lt. David Richel added that even in cases of minor accidents, parties should remain at the scene and contact police immediately.

"It is terrifying that it happened and horrifying that someone would hit a child and just keep driving," said the victim's mother, who added that she believes Summit roads are not safe as "everyone is in such a rush."

Wednesday afternoon a Summit resident suffered minor injuries after she was struck crossing Summit Avenue at Bank Street. The driver who hit her was issued a summons for failure to yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk. 

On Thursday at 7 p.m., a head-on collision occurred at 232 Springfield Ave., Richel confirmed. The Summit Fire Department responded to the scene to extricate one of the drivers who suffered a "traumatic leg injury," according to the police report. The Summit Volunteer First Aid Squad transported the victim to the hospital. The other driver was cited for failure to stay in the proper lane, Richel said.