Distracted driver hits Campus senior in crosswalk
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – A Haysville teen is recovering after being hit by a car. She said the person who did it was driving distracted. She is now warning others to put down the phone.
Violet Etzold said she had different plans for her Campus High School senior skip day other than recovering from an accident. She hopes drivers will take her advice and put their phones down.
Violet was leaving her afternoon job at Rex Elementary School on Thursday.
“I was almost through the crosswalk, and this car just came and hit me straight through my right side,” she said.
Shock set in for Violet.
“I was just sitting there shaking. I called my dad,” she said.
The driver, who hit her, stopped to help. Violet spent hours in the ER, waiting to find out the extent of her injuries.
“I have a bruised right lung and then two cracked ribs. I could barely even walk at first; I had to have people help me walk because it just hurt really bad,” she said.
The teen’s father said this is every parent’s nightmare.
“Every day, as long as I don’t get that phone call, it’s a good day, and yesterday was a bad day. We got that call,” said Violet’s father, Shane Etzold.
He said his daughter followed all the proper safety precautions, something that concerns him even more.
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“You teach them to do the right thing and obey the rules as either a pedestrian or a bike rider, and when they do what they’re supposed to, and they still get hurt, that’s really disappointing,” said Shane.
Violet wants the accident to be a message to drivers that calls or text messages can wait.
“Just don’t use your phone when you drive; accidents happen all the time; you can always check it later,” she said.
Police said the driver, who hit Violet, was given a citation. While the accident happened in Haysville, the Wichita Police Department said they have seen an increase in crashes involving pedestrians compared to last year.
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