89-year-old woman drove into girl, 9, and kept going
Background: The intersection of East Ramsey and South Swift avenues in Cudahy, Wisconsin, where the victim was hit (WTMJ/YouTube). Inset: Darlene Adam (Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office).
CUDAHY, Wis. — An 89-year-old woman has been charged in a hit-and-run after allegedly striking a 9-year-old girl on her way to school.
Darlene Adam faces a charge of hit-and-run causing injury, according to a criminal complaint obtained by Law&Crime.
The incident occurred shortly before 8 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 28, as Lenci Lambert, who has since turned 10, was crossing East Ramsey Avenue at South Swift Avenue in Cudahy, a Milwaukee suburb. A crossing guard was on duty, holding a stop sign and wearing a high-visibility vest, when Lenci began to cross.
The complaint states that a silver sedan approached “without slowing down” and struck the girl before continuing on without stopping.
Police responded to the scene and found Lenci lying in the street surrounded by bystanders. Officers spoke with the crossing guard and reviewed nearby surveillance footage, including video from a hospital parking lot, which captured a silver Ford Focus with “fresh damage to the front passenger side, a cracked windshield, and an apparent handprint on the glass.”
When investigators questioned Adam, she reportedly said she thought a rock had hit her car or that she had run into a construction barrel. She did not check her vehicle for damage until arriving at the hospital, where she recognized the new damage. Adam told police she did not recall her speed or seeing the crossing guard at the intersection.
Witnesses described seeing “a cup and a shoe fly up in the air” and reported that the car did not brake before hitting Lenci. The girl was taken to a children’s hospital with abrasions and bruising on her face and bandages on her arms and legs.
If convicted, Adam could face up to nine months in jail and a fine of up to $10,000. She is scheduled to appear in court on Dec. 18, according to WTMJ.
In an interview with Milwaukee’s ABC affiliate WISN, Adam called the incident an accident and said she never saw the girl. “I’m giving up my license,” she added.
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