Manatee County student hit by car while waiting for bus; 19-year-old driver charged, cops say

A Myakka City student who attends Lakewood Ranch High School is in the hospital after being struck by a car Thursday morning at his bus stop.

The unidentified 14-year-old student was transported to Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg with what were said to be non-life threatening but serious injuries, authorities say.

He was transported by EMS via a ground unit, but authorities said he was initially going to be airlifted. However, weather forced the transportation to be done by vehicle.

The Florida Highway Patrol reported the accident occurred at about 6:25 a.m. Thursday near Gopher Hill Road and Verna Bethany Road.

Troopers say the bus was stopped and had its flashing red lights on when 19-year-old Josee Martin, who investigators described as “an inexperienced” driver behind the wheel of a 2001 KIA, struck the student.

Martin told troopers she saw the bus but did not see the flashing lights. When she struck the boy, the impact caused him to be thrown back into the school bus and authorities say the injuries were to his lower half of his body.

Manatee County School District spokesman Mike Barber said he could only confirm that the student was taken to All Children’s.

“Florida Highway Patrol is investigating the accident and we are relying on them for the facts and the details,” Barber said. “My understanding is that the student was transported to All Children’s and we have no further updates on his condition or the details of the accident at this time.”

According to a FHP report released on Thursday, Martin was traveling northbound on Verna Bethany Road and came upon the school bus that was stopped with its flashing red lights in operation.

Witness accounts were confirmed by FHP in its reports that students must cross Verna Bethany Road to get on the bus and the bus driver, once stopped with signals flashing, waves the students to cross the road.

Two children, including the 14-year-old, were in the roadway crossing when Martin’s vehicle struck him and the boy was “propelled” to the west and collided midair into the bus.

Martin was charged with failing to stop for a school bus displaying a stop signal.

This story was originally published August 15, 2019 at 9:25 AM.