A woman who police said hit two teenagers with her car as they walked in a crosswalk has been issued two citations, Cobb County police said Thursday.
Nancy Valentine, 73, was cited for failure to yield to pedestrians in a crosswalk and failure to use due regard to avoid pedestrians in connection with the crash that left two Wheeler High School students in the hospital with serious injuries.
Wheeler officials told Channel 2 Action News the school was donating old weight room equipment and the teens were getting ready to load a weight rack before they were hit March 9.
Cobb police said the teens were crossing Holt Road using the crosswalk just after 7 p.m., AJC.com previously reported. As the two boys carried the equipment across the road, a woman driving a black 2007 Mercedes-Benz SLK350 northbound struck them with her car.
The teens were taken to WellStar Kennestone Hospital. One had life-threatening injuries and the other had serious injuries, but police spokesman Neil Penirelli said last week that the victims’ conditions had improved.
MORE: Crosswalk where car hit Cobb teens is not safe, neighbors say
Police have not released the names of the teens, but Wheeler's head basketball coach confirmed that one of his players, Malik Spellman, sustained head and leg injuries, Channel 2 reported.
Marty Herrin, a witness who jumped out of his car to help, described a horrific scene soon after the incident. The impact was so violent that both victims flew in the air.
He said the driver of the Mercedes-Benz sped toward the crossing.
“It was obvious that they were not stopping,” Herrin said. “I told my wife, ‘They’re not stopping!’ And then boom. She hit them, and they went flying. It was awful.”
RELATED: Crosswalk where students hit was studied, but no improvements made
Valentine is not formally charged in connection with the crash, but she will have to appear in court before a judge.
The Cobb County Department of Transportation is looking into the safety concerns, Channel 2 reported. Spokesman Ross Cavitt said the county plans to install blinking lights and cameras near the crosswalk, as well as more signage.
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