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Sixth Grade Hazel Park Dancer Hit by Car, Suffers Broken Legs and Ankleseed019_Cherie_Rolfe
(Crystal A. Proxmire, Oct. 3, 2014)
A sixth grade student at Hazel Park Jr. High is in the hospital after being hit by a car Thursday afternoon while walking home from school. The accident occurred on Highland one block south of 9 Mile in Hazel Park.
Police declined to give information about the accident, including if the driver of the vehicle was ticketed or not.  UPDATE: James Meisinger, Superintendent of Schools stated that witnesses at the scene, including employees, said that the girl did not cross at the corner, but instead stepped into the street.  Police declined to issue a ticket, agreeing that the girl should not have been crossing where she was and that the woman could not have avoided the collision.
Dance seed021_helaine-zackExpressions Studio in St. Clair Shores is one of many posting photos and sentiments about the beloved girl, who participates in several dance-related activities. “Thank you everyone for the prayers and positive thoughts for Kayla [last name withheld]. She was hit by a car yesterday walking home from school. She fractured her ankle and suffered two broken legs. They had to put a rod in her leg and luckily only one screw and pin in her ankle. She has been such a brave girl. We were able to see her last night after she came out of surgery. She was telling us what happened and showed us her leg. She kept telling the doctor she had to go to dance She has such a strong heart! She gets it from her family! They went through so much and stayed so positive. We love you guys! Your dance family sure cares about you all. We will be visiting again today, we will let you know if there is any new news,” said the studio’s management on Facebook.seed02_sharon chess
The accident is the second one this week in South Oakland County, with first grader Ruby Krupa having been seriously injured the day before when the driver of an SUV hit her near Kennedy School in Oak Park, part of the Ferndale School District. That child received many injuries including a brain injury.
Oak Park Police and Ferndale Schools responded openly with information. “Safety of our students is our number one priority. We will be working with local law enforcement to conduct a review of the traffic patterns. Oak Park Police Department did have a radar station seed029_keyser_familyin front of Kennedy today and will be present at the school tomorrow. We encourage you to speak with your children and discuss the importance of traffic safety,” said Ferndale School Superintendent Blake Prewitt. The School District sent out a notice to all families, and provided extra counseling staff on site.
In Oakland Township, the Sheriff’s Department is searching for the driver of a red SUV that struck two teenagers on bicycles earlier this week.  A 15 year old and 18 year old were injured and the older teen remains hospitalized. The driver fled the scene.
Hazel Park Police declined releasing any information about the accident, only confirming that an accident did take place. The Hazel Park School District has not yet responded to a request to comment. This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
For the story of the Ferndale accident, see http://oaklandcounty115.com/2014/10/02/girl-struck-by-suv-outside-ferndales-kennedy-school/.
For the story of the Oakland Township accident, see http://oaklandcounty115.com/2014/09/29/two-teens-on-bikes-injured-in-hit-and-run-on-rochester-road/
For a previous story about the Hazel Park Dance program, see: http://oaklandcounty115.com/2014/02/20/hazel-park-dance-teams-rock-port-huron-competition/