NORFOLK, Va. — A 16-year-old high school student is in critical condition following a hit-and-run while she was on her way to school Monday morning.
Norfolk police said it happened around 7:10 a.m. in the 1100 block of Park Ave., which is where Booker T. Washington High School is located. A spokeswoman for Norfolk Public Schools confirmed the girl attends the high school.
Police said the teen was crossing the street when she was struck by a car. The vehicle then fled the scene.
A tweet from the Norfolk Police Department said medics took the girl to Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters with life-threatening injuries.
“Who can hit a child and keep on running?” asked Karen Thompson, who lives nearby.
Thompson walked to the scene after receiving an alert on her phone about it. Thompson said the intersection can get dangerous, and that it’s common to see drivers speeding.
"These babies go to school every morning and you got traffic," Thompson said. "And these people be speeding every morning just to get to work.”
As a result of what happened, the school administration provided support to the 16-year-old girl's family, and the Norfolk Public Schools Crisis Response Team was at the school.
“I just want people to be respectful of these children going to school in the morning," resident Cynthia Jewell said. "Slow down to the speed limit.”
“I’m just praying the person that hit them, have a conscience," she said. "Turn yourself in.”
Police are still looking for the driver. If you have any information about the hit-and-run, you're asked to call the Norfolk Crime Line at 1-888-LOCK-U-UP or submit a tip through the P3 mobile app.