An 89-year-old Wisconsin woman is facing charges after allegedly hitting a 9-year-old girl with her car on the way to school — and then driving away.
According to a criminal complaint reviewed by Law&Crime, Darlene Adam has been charged with hit-and-run causing injury following the frightening incident in Cudahy, a Milwaukee suburb.
The crash happened just before 8 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 28. Nine-year-old Lenci Lambert was walking to school when a crossing guard stepped into the crosswalk at East Ramsey and South Swift avenues, holding up his stop sign. As Lenci began crossing, a silver sedan approached the intersection “without slowing down” and struck her before speeding off, the complaint states.
When officers arrived, they found Lenci lying in the street as bystanders tried to help. Police spoke with the crossing guard, then canvassed the area for surveillance footage. A nearby hospital’s cameras captured a silver Ford Focus pulling into its parking lot with fresh front-end damage, a cracked windshield, and even what appeared to be a handprint on the glass.
Investigators located Adam at the hospital and asked if she remembered anything unusual that morning. According to the complaint, she said she thought a rock or construction barrel had hit her vehicle. She also admitted she hadn’t checked for damage until she parked, and claimed she did not see a crossing guard or know how fast she had been driving.
Witnesses told police they saw “a cup and a shoe fly up in the air” during the crash and said the driver never braked before hitting the child.
Lenci, who has since turned 10, was taken to a children’s hospital with bandages on her arms and legs, along with bruising and abrasions on her cheek, eye, and forehead.
If convicted, Adam faces up to nine months in jail and a fine of up to $10,000. She is scheduled to appear in court on Dec. 18, according to WTMJ. Speaking to WISN, Adam insisted it was an accident and said she never saw the girl. She added that she plans to give up her driver’s license.
Crossing guards should make sure all traffic is stopped before allowing children to cross
Sad, probably can see too well