Gibsonton Middle School Pedestrian Hit By Car

12-year-old Mikayla Wiles, a Hillsborough County middle schooler, was jogging with her mother when tragedy struck. Mikayla and her mother were training for a half marathon at the time of the car accident. As she attempted to cross Big Bend Road at Heritage Greens Parkway, she was hit by a car while her mother watched.

Tampa Bay Online reported Mikayla was hit by a Nissan Altima driven by Nicole Troupe of Riverview at around 10 in the morning. According to 10 News, the impact threw her 70 feet through the air and left her with severe head injuries and a collapsed lung. She was taken to Tama General Hospital for treatment. Currently she remains in critical condition. She has had many visitors including Troupe, the woman that drove the car that hit her.

When an auto accident like this one causes severe injury or death, the police perform a detailed investigation to try and determine if anyone was at fault for the accident. During their investigation, the police will probably look at Troupe’s driving record, her medical history, the road conditions, whether she was using her phone or texting, whether she was intoxicated, the speed of her vehicle, and whether she could have avoided Mikayla. The police have said she is being cooperative throughout the investigation.