Police: Girl, 11, startled by dog and hit by car

An 11-year-old girl, apparently startled by a barking dog, stepped off a sidewalk and into a road in northwest Orange County and was hit by a car this morning, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

The girl suffered serious injuries and was taken to Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children.

The accident happened about 8:20 a.m. on Lakeville Road near Beggs Road, the highway patrol said.

Witnesses said the child was walking on the sidewalk but was startled by a barking dog behind a fence and ended up in the road.

The driver, a 31-year-old woman, could not stop her Toyota pickup truck in time and her vehicle struck the child.