South Okanagan

A 10 year-old child has been sent to hospital after being struck by an SUV Tuesday morning.

Photo: Contributed - Oliver Daily News

Traffic had to be detoured past the scene where an SUV struck a child who was walking to his school bus.

At approximately 7:40 a.m., February 7, a school bus stopped in the 7000 Block of Highway 97, two kilometres North of Oliver, to pick up three students.

The bus had activated its full emergency equipment including flashing lights and the 'Stop' paddle typical of all school buses operating in the Province.

In spite of this, police report a newer model Kia SUV driven by an elderly male resident of Penticton, failed to stop and hit the boy, who is a student at Sen Pok Chin.

At the time the bus was taking up the full northbound lane of the highway when three youths began to cross the southbound lane to board the bus.

The driver of the bus told police he saw the vehicle was not slowing down or stopping in response to the emergency equipment.

One of the people witnessing the incident turned out to be a local physician who was able render medical aid until an ambulance arrived.

The youth was subsequently transported to hospital and is being treated for internal injuries, the most serious of which appears to be a bruised spleen. The RCMP say he is also suffering concussion-like symptoms.

The Oliver Detachment, with support of the South Okanagan Traffic Services, are conducting an investigation and will apply the appropriate charges once the investigation is complete.