Student struck by car at school

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This article was published 04/06/2018 (2824 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A Maples Collegiate student was rushed to hospital in critical condition after being struck by a car in the school bus loop shortly before noon.

Two eyewitnesses told the Free Press a female student was hit by a black Honda Civic driven by a male student, and that the two appeared to be playing a game of chicken at the time of the accident.

“She laid down in front (of the car) on the ground. He was supposed to stop. He wanted to stop. I don’t know why, but he just drove over her. That’s what happened,” said one of the students, who asked not to be named.

“We just ran over. Everyone on spare in the commons ran out. We lifted the car, put it in neutral and lifted the car. We had to lift the car and get it off of her. Then we called 911.”

That account was echoed by a Grade 9 student, who also asked not to be named who said the two were playing some sort of game in the lead up to the accident.

“She was laying down, playing dead, goofing off with her friends. And (the driver) tried to stop just before he hit her. He basically tried to scare her, you know. Go up super close then stop. Then, basically, he just ran her over,” the student said.

Winnipeg Police Service responded to reports of a vehicle-pedestrian collision at 11:45 a.m., Const. Rob Carver said, adding the car remained on scene after the accident and no arrests had been made.

“That doesn’t mean we haven’t asked the driver to stick around,” Carver said, adding he had no details on how the accident happened nor updates on the girl’s condition.

A large police presence remained on scene Monday afternoon, with around 10 WPS vehicles parked around the school, a few with their emergency lights flashing. A black four-door Honda Civic could be seen parked and wrapped up in police tape.

Seven Oaks School Division Supt. Brian O’Leary confirmed the female student was taken to hospital and that a male student had been driving the car that hit her.

O’Leary declined comment on whether the two were playing a game of chicken when the accident happened, saying he’d defer to police on the matter.

Maples Collegiate, located in the northwest area of the city, is a Grade 9-12 high school. The bus loop, located in the school’s front parking lot, remained closed with a heavy police presence on Monday afternoon.

ryan.thorpe@freepress.mb.caTwitter: @rk_thorpe