LAFAYETTE, Colo. — Two children were struck by drivers while in crosswalks on Baseline Road in Lafayette in less than 24 hours. One of them was headed home from school Thursday afternoon, and the other was headed to school Friday morning, according to Lafayette Police.
The first crash was reported just after 4 p.m. Thursday. At that time, the driver of a Toyota Highlander was headed west on Baseline Road at King Street when they struck a girl who was crossing the street from south to north. She was in a crosswalk with the lights flashing when she was struck, said Brian Rosipajla, deputy chief of Lafayette Police.
The girl was taken to the hospital, where she remained as of noon Friday. The driver remained at the scene, and the case remains under investigation with charges pending.
A second crash was reported just after 8 a.m. Friday morning on Baseline Road at Roser Drive. That is less than a quarter mile from the first crash scene.
According to Rosipajla, a woman driving a grey BMW was headed west on Baseline Road when she struck a boy on a bicycle who was in a crosswalk with lights flashing.
The woman left the scene and was later arrested by deputies with the Boulder County Sheriff's Office near Baseline Road and 55th Street, according to Lafayette Police.
The suspect was identified as 38-year-old Katie Panetta. She's expected to face multiple charges including hit-and-run, failure to remain at a scene with serious bodily injuries and failing to yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk, Rosipajla said.
According to the arrest affidavit, the officer noticed damage to the front end of Panetta's car, hood and windshield that was consistent with being hit by an object or possibly a person on the passenger side.
Panetta claims she was driving her kid to school when she hit a street sign and this caused damage to her car. Panetta said she looked back and didn't see anyone or anything so she continued to drive.
“As a driver, you have to take responsibility of what you, like, you behind the wheel in your vehicle," said Alison Power, who has lived in the neighborhood for almost eight years. "Because that vehicle is a weapon, it can kill someone, it can kill you."
She said the intersection of Baseline Road at King Street is very busy.
“We have school buses, RTD buses,” Power said. “We have a ton of schools in the area, so we have kids all over.”
Power said she saw the heavy police presence by her home on Thursday evening, after the first accident.
“This is a lovely neighborhood where everybody knows each other. So immediately you go to, 'Is it somebody I know? Is it my kid?'” Power said.
Both children remain hospitalized, but no further information about their conditions is known.
The principal of Platt Middle School sent a letter to families provided to 9NEWS that said the girl in the first crash is a student at Platt Middle School and the boy in the second crash attends Centaurus High School.