RICHLAND COUNTY, S.C. — A student at a Richland County elementary school had to be hospitalized after being hit by a car while walking to school.
The South Carolina Highway Patrol says the incident happened Wednesday morning in front of Mill Creek Elementary School on Universal Drive.
According to troopers, a child was walking south on Universal Drive and then turned left onto Songbird Drive. After the child did, an SUV that was traveling north on Universal Drive then struck the child, investigators say.
The Highway Patrol could not confirm the child was a student but Richland School District One was able to say the victim went to Mill Creek. The district said the child was transported by ambulance to a hospital for treatment but did not know the child's condition. However, the highway patrol did note this was not a fatal collision.
Jennifer Weed has lived on Universal Drive for several years and says she was shocked to hear the news.
"It's at best egregious, I mean that's what my reaction was," said Weed. "There were seven or eight police cars from Richland County, an ambulance, fire truck, and this road over here was blocked off. "
While there is no evidence that the SUV was speeding, Weed tells News 19 that speeding has been an issue in her neighborhood for years.
"They're drag racing down the road, they don't follow the speed limit. We’ve asked for speed bumps, we’ve asked for a reduction in the speed limit– they will do none of these things," said Weed.
Darryl Sapp has lived in the neighborhood for 20 years and said he knows the child's family.
"Every minute this school is open, we need some protection down this road. I see cars flying up and down this road every day," said Sapp.
According to the South Carolina Highway Patrol, there have been 13 collisions on Universal Drive since 2016.
SCDOT provided this information to News 19:
Universal Drive, in front of Mill Creek Elementary, is a residential street and the current speed limit is 30 mph. During school hours, the speed limit on Universal Drive is reduced to 25 mph, and flashers are present to alert drivers to decrease their speed.
Since your specific question is about speed humps, I wanted to provide some background information for you. Speed humps are one of the traffic calming devices used in South Carolina to help reduce speeds to acceptable levels. SCDOT works closely with local governments to ensure that appropriate traffic calming measures are installed. This is based on guidance provided by the Federal Highway Administration. If a speed hump is determined to be warranted, SCDOT permanently reduces the speed limit to 25 mph in the affected area, and the local government body handles the installation of the speed humps, even on a state maintained roadway. This partnership ensures input from stakeholders in the impacted area, including local governments, homeowners, first responders, school personnel and other appropriate persons.
SCDOT is aware of the recent request from citizens for speed hump installation in the Universal Drive area. We stand ready to coordinate with local officials to facilitate any changes necessary to improve safety in this area.
The South Carolina Highway Patrol continues to investigate.
