Student waiting at bus stop hit by truck, airlifted for treatment.

By Allison Scarbrough. OCP Editor.

MONTAGUE TOWNSHIP (Muskegon County) — An 18-year-old female Montague High School student suffered several broken bones after being hit by a pickup truck with a snowplow blade while waiting for her school bus Monday morning before daylight at approximately 7 a.m. on Fruitvale Road near Walsh Road, Montague Area Public Schools Superintendent Jeffrey Johnson said.

According to Muskegon County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Shane Brown, preliminary investigation indicates the girl stepped out in front of the truck, and she was hit by the snowplow blade.

The male driver, who stopped at the scene, is not expected to be ticketed, Brown said.

The student, whose name is not being released by the school, was standing on the west side of the road at the end of her driveway when she was struck by the northbound truck, Johnson said. The truck had completed the curve near the Montague Tree Farms before the teen was struck, Johnson said. The school bus was heading south to pick up the student and was not involved in the crash, he said. Very few students were on the bus at the time the crash occurred, he said.

The student suffered “serious” injuries, but they are “non-life-threatening,” Johnson said. She was taken by ambulance to Hackley Hospital in Muskegon, where she was airlifted to Spectrum in Grand Rapids, the superintendent said.

The bus lights had not yet been activated, Brown said, because the bus was not close enough to the bus stop. 

“This morning, while waiting for the school bus, one of our high school students was hit by a vehicle,” states the school district’s Facebook page. “Thankfully, the student’s injuries are not life threatening, but this accident serves as a reminder to all of us to talk with our children about safe practices at the bus stop, and to slow down and be cautious while driving.

“Remind your children to stay as far off the road as possible while waiting for the school bus; to look both ways before crossing the road; and to stay alert to traffic around the bus stop and bus.”

Brown also reminded motorists and students to be extremely cautious at bus stops. “Be cautious anytime you see a bus,” he said. “Get used to the bus stops in your area and be aware of your surroundings. Parents need to talk to their kids about safety at bus stops. It can happen to anybody — whether it’s a high school student or a first grader.”

“It’s very sad,” Johnson said, “but it could have been a lot worse.”