The glare of the morning sun was blamed on a “slow speed” pedestrian accident where an East Union High School senior was hit in a crosswalk by an eastbound vehicle on Northgate Drive near the school’s tennis courts.
Manteca Police officers said the 7:30 a.m. Friday accident involved the sun blinding the driver. The girl was thrown several feet to the pavement when the vehicle struck her.  Friends said she received a broken pelvis and two bruises to the brain and noted that she would require several weeks of rehabilitation therapy in her recovery.
The cause of the crash continues to be investigated to determine if there were any other contributing factors in the incident that led to the accident.  She was transported to an area hospital and was released to go home on Tuesday.
It was the third vehicle versus pedestrian accident in three years involving students walking to school or while participating in a school activity. A Shasta School first grader was struck and killed last year while crossing an intersection heading to school. Also last year a Manteca High cross country runner on a training run was struck while crossing Moffat Boulevard as he returned to the campus.
Not necessarily the case with the Friday mishap, but students have been warned about watching motorists carefully as they cross the streets and not focusing on their cell phones.  Not seeing the driver’s face while looking down can limit a pedestrian’s ability to take evasive action of needed.