Children hurt as truck smashes fence

Jen Lawson

Friday, May 13, 2005 | 11:12 a.m.

Two children are hospitalized this morning after an 18-wheeler going into a construction site in northeast Las Vegas clipped a chain-link fence which crashed into them, Metro Police said.

A 13-year-old girl and her 11-year-old brother were waiting with their mother for a carpool ride to school at Sandy Lane and Carey Avenue about 7:40 a.m., Officer Bill Cassell, a Metro spokesman said.

The truck heading west on Carey Avenue made a wide southbound turn onto Sandy Lane into a construction site and hit a chain-link fence that was partially blocking the street.

The fence hit the children, who were standing inside the site, Cassell said.

Their mother was not injured.

The carpool driver pulled up just as the accident occurred and lifted the fence off the children, Cassell said.

They were taken to North Vista Hospital, formerly known as Lake Mead Hospital, where the girl was in critical condition. The boy suffered less serious injuries.

The truck driver didn't stop immediately, Cassell said.

"The driver was unaware that he had struck the fence," Cassell said. "His coworkers yelled for him to stop."

The driver hit the brakes about 125 yards into the site, he said.

Police investigators said the fence hit the children, and they were still investigating to determine if the truck hit the children as well.

It's not clear if the driver will face any charges, Cassell said.

"It's way too early to speculate," Cassell said. "This could just be a horrible accident."

The girl attends Mario & Joanne Monaco Middle School and the boy attends Ann Lynch Elementary School, officials said.

Clara Carden, who identified herself as an administrator at Monaco, confirmed that a student from their school was involved in the accident but could not provide any other information.

Deborah Slauzis, principal of Lynch, said she could not confirm that a student from the school was involved.

The construction site where the accident occurred is the site of a new school.

Sun reporter David Kihara contributed reporting for this story