School issues safety warning after student hit by car on walk to school

TAMPA - The scene Thursday morning on Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard in Tampa was the most recent incident of a Tampa Bay area student struck by a vehicle while walking to school.

But it's not the first.

• A St. Pete High School student was hospitalized Monday after a car struck her while walking in a crosswalk.
• Just a few weeks ago, a driver hit a Sickles High student after school when he darted across four lanes of traffic.
• In January, a school bus killed a Lakeland High School student.
• This time last year, a motorist also killed a Middleton High School student on her way to class. 

"It happened so fast," explained Ulysses Williams, Jr. "I was surprised because I didn't see her."

Williams ran over 16-year-old Hillsborough High School student Andra Glover after the car in front of him struck her Thursday morning. According to police, Glover ran across MLK Jr. Blvd. while drivers had a green light.

Her shoes and a recently purchased bag of McDonald's food sat in the middle of the road after an ambulance rushed Glover to St. Joe's Children's Hospital.

The sun had just started to rise and Williams couldn't see well.

"I don't know where she came from. All I saw was a dot," he said. "I heard somebody say, 'You just ran over a girl!'"

Hillsborough County Schools warns parents and students to pay attention to traffic signals on the way to or from school or bus stops, especially during the fall as Daylight Saving Time approaches. The mornings are darker every day.

"People can't be in a rush," said school spokesman Steve Hegarty. "Students need to be very careful and follow all the rules of the road as well."

Glover is in fair condition and expected to recover.

Still, Williams feels horrible about what he did Thursday morning, even if he says he never had a chance to stop.

"Don't try to out-run a car or truck because you can't judge the speed," he said. "I guess it's something I'll have to live with the rest of my life."