Car drives on after pupil hit
Mother urges bus route rethink as son struck on roadside
Adriver failed to stop after clipping a high school student with his wing mirror on a 100km/h rural road, sending him flying. Hamilton’s Morgan Honnor, 15, was hospitalised and his mother is calling on the Ministry of Education to urgently change the bus route before a child dies walking home.
Her son was dropped off at the corner of Tauwhare and Bruntwood Rds, south of Hamilton, about 4pm last Thursday afternoon.
The Hillcrest High student started walking home along Bruntwood Rd on the gravel between the verge and the bike lane. The road has a speed limit of 100km/h.
Two other students got off at the same stop, but had already reached their houses when Morgan was hit from behind by the wing mirror of a silver sedan, which was overtaking another car.
“I was walking home when I heard a loud noise go really fast behind me so I stepped to the right and then the next thing I knew I was hit by a car.
“I was shocked and I couldn’t really believe what happened.”
His body twisted and he landed hands down on the grass verge. Neither vehicle stopped.
Morgan walked home but later that night began complaining of back pain, a sore spine and a numb leg so his mother, Deborah Weir-Honnor, took him to Waikato Hospital’s emergency department.
He was put in a neck brace and was sent home with painkillers after X-rays showed nothing was broken.
But on Monday, the pain in his mid and upper worsened and the Year 11 student went back to hospital. He also had a weak leg and was limping, which doctors put down to a pinched nerve.
He was hospitalised on Tuesday so doctors could manage his pain and they were hoping his walking would return to normal once the swelling subsided. Morgan is unable to have the usual anti-inflammatories because of a blood disorder.
Weir-Honnor reported the hit-andrun to police. The Herald is awaiting comment from police.
Weir-Honnor is calling on the Min- istry of Education and the Waikato District Council to change the bus route. She also believes a footpath should be installed. Weir-Honnor said a lot of parents refused to let their children get off at the bus stop because it was too dangerous and met their children at another stop. “It’s too dangerous. It’s like a race track.” Ministry of Education head of infrastructure service Kim Shannon said it was caregivers’ responsibility to ensure their children got home safely from the designated bus stop. However, she said the ministry would be happy to speak with parents who felt the bus stop by the corner of Tauwhare and Bruntwood Rds was no longer safe.
HWatch the video interview at nzherald.co.nz