DAVENPORT, Fla. — A teenage girl is in critical condition after a driver in a box truck hit her while she was walking to school Tuesday morning in Davenport.
Valeria Cosme, 15, was walking to Davenport High School at 6:45 a.m. It was still dark out when investigators said Cosme was crossing County Road 547 and was struck by a driver in a box truck.
“The driver said, 'I simply didn’t see her,'” said Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd.
The Davenport High School student was crossing in the crosswalk designated for elementary school students nearby the Davenport School of the Arts.
According to Polk County’s Roads and Drainage division, there is a flashing beacon at the crosswalk, but it does not come on until 7:35 a.m.
Since the crash, ABC Action News has learned county leaders are now adjusting the crosswalk to activate earlier 6:15 a.m.
Parents said they have raised concerns about the safety of high school students that have to walk in the dark.
“It’s really frustrating to hear that another student got hurt this morning because all of the risks have been here all along. There are school crossing signs that aren’t activated when the high schoolers are coming because they’re here to serve the middle school and the elementary school,” said Laurel Slater.
Polk County Public Schools confirmed that since the school opened in 2021, two other Davenport High students were also hit by vehicles while walking to school.
“I’m really concerned that this could happen again. We've seen it three times already in the short time the school has been here,” Slater said.
The school district is also asking the Polk County Sheriff's Office to provide additional traffic enforcement.
“There’s not enough of us working to be at every intersection, but the responsibility to get to school safely is between the students and the parents,” Judd said.
Some parents said drivers need to slow down while in the school zone.
“It could’ve been my daughter if they walked. That's why I don’t let them walk. I bring them to school every morning,” said Frank L.
Additionally, Polk County Schools said Duke Energy will be installing a light at the crosswalk and additional lights in the vicinity of Davenport High. The county also plans to finish implementing a reduced speed zone near the front of Davenport High that includes flashing beacons and reduced speed signage.
