HUMBOLDT — Eleven-year-old Bridgett Neeley, Humboldt, is in a Wichita hospital today after being struck by a pickup while riding her bike Wednesday afternoon.
The Humboldt Police Department reported Neeley, a fifth-grader at Humboldt Elementary School, was struck at the intersection of Ninth and Bridge streets.
Neeley had entered the intersection when she was struck by a pickup driven by Jack Baker, 43, Humboldt. Baker was southbound on Ninth and had stopped at the stoplight, when he then had begun to make a legal, right-hand turn and struck Neeley, officers said.
Neeley and the bicycle were pinned beneath the truck and dragged a short distance until the pickup stopped. The bike may have been Neeley’s salvation, officers said, because it prevented the truck from rolling over her.
A flood of nearby bystanders rushed to the scene until an ambulance arrived from Iola.
Humboldt City Administrator Cole Herder and other B&W Trailer Hitches employees helped direct traffic while emergency crews tended to the girl. Staffers from nearby Ashley Clinic also rushed to the scene to provide aid.
NEELEY WAS flown to Wesley Medical Center in Wichita, where she was diagnosed with a skull fracture. She remains in the hospital’s Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.
Her mother, Tammy, reported late Wednesday that Bridgett likely did not require “extreme medical invervention,” and that through a period of rest and restricted activity, a full recovery was expected.
