By Kamryn Martell and Perry Smith
Signal Staff Writers
Two children were struck by a vehicle near Highlands Elementary School during morning drop-off time Wednesday morning.
The children were a 12-year-old and a 7-year-old, according to Shirley Miller, spokeswoman for the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station. Miller added that it was one boy and one girl.
A resident who lived across the street from the collision, on the 27300 block of Catala Avenue, described what she saw shortly before the 7:50 a.m. bell to start school, as she looked out of the window of her home office.
“I’m looking, and I see, because there’s always so much traffic and commotion out there … and I just happened to see the (driver) had basically, I would call it a double-park,” said Michelle Guerrero, in a phone interview shortly after the incident.
She saw a Tesla legally parked on the street facing downhill, and then a driver, apparently a parent, double-parked facing the same way. There were two children in the passenger seat who hopped out and went around the vehicle and were then struck by a green SUV driving uphill away from campus.
The car that struck the two children was going at a slow rate of speed, according to Miller. Both children were transported from the scene via ambulance at approximately 8:20 a.m. and taken to Central Park in Saugus, where they were airlifted by helicopter, Miller added.
Miller said the children had no life-threatening injuries.
Guerrero said there’s a valet monitor on duty at the drop-off point. However, she said there’s been an increase in traffic there in recent years, “and there’s always a commotion.”
“It’s been an ongoing issue, but it’s gotten worse because there’s been an influx of kids because Santa Clarita Elementary School closed down,” she said. She also said she remembered signing a petition from her neighbors to try to place speed humps on the street to slow motorists; however, she was told that did not have enough support to proceed.
Data from the state’s school dashboards indicates the school’s population had increased by about 100 students in the most recent data available online from the California Department of Education.
The school’s principal sent a message to parents less than an hour after the collision on Wednesday morning. The message described what happened and said the “incident serves as a critical reminder of how quickly accidents can happen, and why our traffic safety protocols are so vital.”
“The two students were safely transported to receive medical attention, accompanied by their parent. We are keeping both students and their family in our thoughts and wishing them a swift recovery,” according to the email sent by school Principal Ernestina Aguilar. “We want to extend our deepest gratitude to our local first responders for their rapid action, as well as to our staff and community members for their patience, cooperation and calm support during this situation.”
A city of Santa Clarita official confirmed Wednesday afternoon that a request for speed cushions on Catala Avenue was made in July 2021.
In October, the city conducted a survey of 62 households along Catala, but it failed to reach the threshold for the city, which is two-thirds of residents — only 53% were in favor, according to an email Wednesday from Carrie Lujan, the city’s communications manager.
This is a breaking news story, and additional information will be added as it becomes available.
