PARKERSBURG, W.Va. — Two children were struck by a hit-and-run driver while crossing the street Thursday night in Parkersburg.
It happened in the 1300 block of Saint Marys Avenue around 7 p.m.
Parkersburg police chief Joe Martin said the girls, ages 3 and 7, were not related.
“Either the mother or the grandmother, I don’t know which, motioned for the children to cross the street, it was safe,” Martin said. “As they did that, the other adult noticed it wasn’t safe, tried to get them to stop and it was too late before the vehicle struck them.”
The girls, who reportedly suffered head injuries, were taken to Camden Clark Medical Center and then flown to Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown. Their conditions were not immediately released.
Martin said one witness confirmed the vehicle was a red, four-door sedan. The chief said the driver probably would not have been charged had he or she stopped immediately.
“The driver was actually not at fault at that point, until he failed to stop and render aid and then just drove away,” the chief said. “That’s where his problems started, whoever the driver may be. That’s where his problem occurred.”
An eyewitness told police there was a brief stop and look by the driver.
“The dome light of the vehicle did come on according to an eyewitness but they could not tell if it was a male or female,” Martin said.
Investigators are looking for help in the case.
“Anybody that even thinks they may have a piece of information, no matter how trivial or how small it may be, it may be the exact piece of information we’re waiting for to put this together,” Martin said.