Car crushes 6-year-old’s foot as he crosses street
A 6-year-old boy’s foot was crushed by a car Thursday after he ran into the street on his way to kindergarten.
The accident happened shortly before 1 p.m. at 17th and Glenn just east of University Elementary.
Paramedics loaded Tyelar Sutton on a stretcher, his face red from tears as he clutched a stuffed animal. His worried grandmother hovered in the background.
The boy lost a layer of skin from his foot, said Lt. Mark Hill, of the Valley Fire Department. “He’ll have a little bit of heal time with that foot,” he said. “It certainly could have been worse.”
Witnesses said the grandmother, driving a large red van, was heading north on Glenn at the corner of 17th when she pulled off to the right to let the boy out.
They saw the boy dart out into the street in front of the stopped van, running into the path of a Bronco also heading north.
“Witnesses say he was probably going 15 (mph), so he was being cautious,” said Spokane Valley police Officer Tom Warner of the Bronco driver.
The driver, 35-year-old Russell K. King of Plains, Mont., will not be cited because he didn’t violate any laws and wasn’t speeding, Warner said.
Some parents say this accident, though not the fault of the driver, illustrates the need for a crossing guard. “They need a crossing guard here,” said Tricia Poitevint, a parent who saw the accident. “We’ve said it forever. There are too many cars that don’t obey the rules.”
There are apparently no plans to add crossing guards to the location. “It’s an issue of resources,” said Central Valley School District spokeswoman Melanie Rose.
School Principal Sue Lennick said parents have the option of using the Glenn and 18th side streets to pick up their children, but they are encouraged to use the pickup area in front of the school or streets where there are crossing guards.
There are guards at 16th and University and 18th and University.
Six additional people help children get into their buses and to their parents’ cars in front of the school.