Teen hit by car in Newman crosswalk near high school, airlifted to hospital

A 17-year-old boy had to be airlifted to a Modesto hospital after being hit by a car that ran a stop sign a few blocks from Orestimba High School in Newman on Wednesday morning, authorities said.

The boy was in a crosswalk at Kern and S streets just before 8 a.m. when the driver of a Toyota sedan, who was traveling east on Kern, ran a stop sign. The Toyota hit the boy at about 25 mph, said Newman police Lt. Brett Short.

Short said the teen suffered moderate injuries, including a possible head injury, and was taken to Memorial Medical Center in Modesto by helicopter.

The driver of the Toyota, a 20-year-old man whom police did not identify, stopped at the scene. Short said drugs and/or alcohol were not a factor in the collision and distracted driving was not suspected as a factor.

“The driver mentioned that the morning sun was impairing his vision at the time of the collision,” Short said. “The driver was not arrested. He was properly licensed and insured.”