Souderton Middle Schooler Struck by Vehicle While Getting on Bus

Keith Heffintrayer | North Penn Now•

A Souderton Area School District middle school student was injured Wednesday morning after being struck by a vehicle while attempting to get on their bus.

The incident occurred on Jan. 10 at 9:10 a.m. along the 200 block of Cowpath Road in Franconia Township. A review of Montgomery County dispatch recordings indicated that a middle school student was struck by a 2019 Honda CRV while attempting to get on the bus, and ambulances were called to the scene for both the student that was struck as well as the driver of the striking vehicle.

Franconia Township Police Chief Michael Martin said the victim was transported via ambulance to Grand View Hospital for treatment of minor injuries and they were subsequently released. The driver of the striking vehicle, identified by police as a teen driver, was also transported to Grand View Hospital due to "hysteria,” police said.

Martin said the bus was stopped with its lights flashing in the northbound lane when the Honda — traveling southbound — struck the victim.

The road was closed briefly as first responders worked to process the scene and transport the victim. The scene was cleared at 9:43 a.m., Martin said.

Franconia Township Police were assisted at the scene by units from Souderton Borough Police, Souderton Fire Police, and VMSC Emergency Medical Services.

In an email to parents Wednesday afternoon, Souderton Area School District Superintendent Frank Gallagher reminded parents about student and school bus safety.

"We are reminding all community members of our shared responsibility in keeping our students safe on the roadways, particularly before and after school when school buses are running,” Gallagher said. "Motorists must stop at least 10 feet away from school buses that have their red lights flashing and stop-arm activated.”

District officials said they have spoken with students on the bus who witnessed the crash, as well as their parents. Gallagher also expressed gratitude for the response from police and emergency medical personnel.

"We hope that as news of this very unfortunate accident makes its way through our school community, everyone will remain respectful of the very difficult nature of accidents like this involving young people,” Gallagher said.

The investigation into the incident is ongoing, and police are currently reviewing video to confirm what happened and investigate all contributing factors, Martin said. The driver will be cited with any applicable vehicle code violations, according to police.

(Editor’s note: the article was updated at 9:22 a.m. to reflect confirmation and new details from police.)