Edina Student Kyla Avant Plans To Return To School On Monday Following Hit And Run At Bus Stop
EDINA, Minn. (WCCO) — On January 23rd, 17-year-old Kyla Avant was waiting for her school bus. As she was preparing to get on her bus, a driver ignored the stop arm and flashing lights and hit her on France Ave. Avant is still in pain, but is preparing to go back to school on Monday. Now, her mom is calling on the Edina Public School district to make their bus stops safer, especially on busy roads.
"France is a very busy street. And there's you know, there's not really space for people to go when they are waiting for the bus," Avant's mother, Carly Turner told WCCO.
Carly Turner's life was turned upside down when that car hit her teenage daughter as she was getting on the bus. Bus stop safety has been a concern of her's for awhile now, especially when her kids wait for the bus off a busy road like France Ave.
"On the safety aspect, you know a busy street, weather conditions, at any time a car could slide, at any time the bus could slide. At any time anything could happen on a busy street like that," Turner said.
Turner would like to see the Edina Public Schools change those bus stops, especially on busy roads like France Ave. "For the school bus stops it would be very nice if they had a designated spot. The kids, whether it's rain/sleet/snow, they stand on the curb, or they stand in the grass or they would have to stand on the street," said Turner.
Edina Public School released the following statement:
"As a result of the incident last week, when an Edina student was the victim of a hit-and-run at a bus stop, Edina Public Schools transportation has been examining its bus stops on France Avenue."
Here are some things to know:
- The district has had bus stops that pickup and dropoff students on both sides of France Avenue for many years as we do not want students to have to cross France Avenue.
- Much of how school buses stop to pickup/dropoff students is dictated by statute. Edina buses stop in the lane of traffic in order to stop the flow of traffic coming up behind them. This is why buses on France Avenue do not pull into the striped shoulder.
- The district's transportation administrator has been conferring with the State Patrol to review our stops on France Avenue and help determine the safest procedure for that area.
It is most important to remember that this incident was the result of irresponsible driving, not the actions or process followed by our bus driver. The safety of our students is a top priority and we continuously work to enhance student safety in all areas of the district."
