Monday (4/5) was a scary day for a Missoula family when their 5th grader was struck by a vehicle as he was on his way home from the park at his school around 5 p.m. 10-year-old Noah was leaving Westside Park at Lowell School when a vehicle struck him in the crosswalk sending him flying 20 feet from the collision. The driver was estimated to be going just 10 miles per hour, please keep that in mind when you are driving through school zones. Even at 10 miles per hour, this kid was tossed 20 feet.

As a mom myself, I know what you're thinking. You'd be terrified out of your mind to get the call that your child was struck by a car, which would eventually become anger at the driver. I asked Noah's mom about it, naturally she was scared when she got the call, and she was sad that only one parent at a time could be with their son at the hospital due to pandemic restrictions. Mom was able to spend the night with Noah, but if you're a parent, you can imagine how frustrating it was to manage the situation during a pandemic. Noah's family did keep in touch with the driver as her concern for them was quite obvious, so she was probably relieved to get a text from them letting her know that his injuries were minimal.

Following the accident, the driver voluntarily went to the hospital to have her blood drawn, she was not suspected of being impaired and she was very cooperative. Also, she had slowed in the school zone on Phillips Street, but due to a vehicle parked in a 'No Parking' zone, Noah on his scooter in the crosswalk was in the driver's blind spot. This 'No Parking' zone has apparently been a concern in the past, and Lowell School parents have been trying to arrange for crossing guards in the area before and after school.

As for young Noah, the kid's a trooper. He was wearing a helmet on his scooter, and he did have to spend the night in the hospital to be monitored for liver damage. But he was released today 4/6 and is at home healing. He suffered "a scraped face, mouth cuts, and very bruised knees and legs," but is in good spirits after a very eventful day.

Please, please, PLEASE be cautious in school zones, and mind the 'No Parking' zones. We've all been in the situation when you're late for drop off or pick up and you need to park just for a few minutes, but it's very dangerous. And be mindful of all crosswalks. I watch cars speed through the high school zones every day, with drivers oblivious to students waiting to cross, drives me nuts. We're all busy, but it would absolutely suck to hurt a child. Big hugs to all involved in Noah's accident, we wish him a speedy recovery.

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