SAN ANTONIO — A middle school student is out of the hospital after being hit by a vehicle on his way to school, according to the Northside Independent School District (NISD).
The crash happened around 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday near Swayback Ranch and Mill Park. The 6th grader was riding his bike to Dr. John Folks Middle School when deputies say he was struck. The Bexar County Sheriff's Office (BCSO) confirmed the driver stopped and provided information about the crash. That driver will not be facing any charges, BCSO says.
Brittanie McHorse told KENS 5 she was one of the first people on scene.
"I was just focused on making sure he was okay," said Brittanie. "I have a background in trauma and [people] were trying to move him further away. So, I said, 'Don't move him, just make sure that we don't cause any more injuries, keep him calm, keep his sister calm.' I just wanted to make sure no one panicked and frightened the kids even more. The best we could tell, he was okay. All we could do was provide traffic control until help arrived."
The student was taken to University Hospital with non life-threatening injuries, according to Northside ISD spokesman Barry Perez.
According to Folks Middle School parents, it was just a matter of time until an accident like this happened.
"I hate that it happened again," said Christine Cosgrove. "It's not the first time a child has been hit going to school from these neighborhoods. It happened at the end of last year too; another child was hit by a car and hospitalized while riding their bike to school."
Just hours after the first crash, authorities responded to a second collision at the same intersection on Wednesday.
More than a dozen parents shared similar concerns about traffic congestion, speeding and distracted driving.
“There’s no reason for 5, 6,7,11, 12-year-old kids to cross four-lane roads with no assistance, no crossing guards, no stop signs, no nothing," said Justin McHorse. "We rarely have any type of patrols. We are also in a weird area where Helotes police patrol Galm Road but as soon as you get off Galm Road in either direction, it's Bexar County. Bexar County is never out here unless there is an emergency."
Parents are begging for police patrols, more stop signs, speed bumps and additional crossing guards. Just this year, a homeowner requested a four-way stop at the intersection of Swayback Ranch and Mill Park. She was denied.
"We are seeing neighborhoods develop in that area very quickly," said Perez. "Having worked at Folks Middle School, I can tell you since it opened in 2013 to now it has probably tripled in enrollment. While that is good for growth, an increase in traffic and congestion comes along with that. We are going to assess any potential safety issues throughout the school year. There are things that are within our control as a district, and there are things that fall outside our control.”
One thing parents believe the district can do is provide transportation to all students. We’re told a few years ago, NISD stopped offering bus routes for students living within 2 miles of Folks Middle School.
“Kids are getting dropped off an hour and a half before the doors even open sometimes,” said Cosgrove. "Parents have to work. I have emailed and called the district, transportation department and school. There's no response. Other parents have done the same thing and nobody is responding to us. It's like the don't care."
A child didn’t make it to school on Wednesday and without change, parents fear he won’t be the last.
“Something needs to be done because this isn’t safe," Cosgrove said.