Crime & Safety
Dunedin Student Hit By SUV in Front of School
The accident happened around 8:40 a.m., which was before school crossing guards begin their shifts, according to the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office.
A Dunedin student was struck by a SUV as she crossed in front of Palm Harbor Middle School Monday morning.
The 13-year-old Dunedin Highland Middle School student was crossing 19th Street North and was walking toward Palm Harbor Middle School, when a 2000 Toyota 4Runner driven by Steven Carl Kozak, 49, of Dunedin made a right turn off Tampa Road and onto 19th Street North, hitting the girl while she was in the crosswalk, the Florida Highway Patrol reports.
The crosswalk signal indicated the girl could cross and Kozak had stopped for the red light before he made the right turn, but he failed to see the girl in the crosswalk, authorities report.
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The front of the SUV hit the girl on her right side, knocking her onto the roadway. The girl was transported by ambulance as a precautionary measure, said Victoria Hawkins, principal of Palm Harbor Middle School.
The accident happened around 8:40 a.m., which was before school crossing guards begin their shifts at 8:50 a.m. according to Sgt. David DiSano of the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office.
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Kozak was given a citation for failing to yield the right of way to a pedestrian.
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