Teens ok after car accident

Two Gardnerville teenagers hit by a car while crossing Highway 395 on Wednesday likely suffered broken bones, according to East Fork Deputy Chief Fire Marshall Steve Eisele.

Sarah Thatcher, 15, is in satisfactory condition at Carson Valley Medical where she is being treated for a leg injury and cuts and bruises. Her friend, Shenna McConnell, 15, was discharged from Barton Memorial Hospital with a broken arm, according to reports.

The two girls were hit about 5:35 p.m. in the crosswalk just north of the Lampe Drive intersection in Gardnerville, Eisele said.

While Thatcher and McConnell were crossing the northbound lanes of the highway, one car stopped but a second vehicle struck them.

"They were really shook up and certainly in a good deal of pain," he said.

The driver, Susan Giles, 36, of Gardnerville was issued a citation for failing to yield to a pedestrian. "It appears that Giles simply did not see the girls" in the darkness, Eisele said.

Officials believe Giles was traveling the posted 25 mph speed limit.

Soon after the accident, Eisele said, the the mother of one of the girls that lives nearby showed up at the scene.

"She was really shook up and distraught," Eisele said. "Everybody standing around and watching what happened was really affected."

Nevada Highway Patrol officers closed the two northbound lanes for more than an hour, diverting traffic through one of the southbound lanes while investigating the accident.

Eisele said the accident is a reminder to kids and parents to watch the clock and try to get home before dark.

"One of our biggest problems is the darkness," he said. "We still have a lot of kids playing or riding their bikes or walking at 5 o'clock, and by then it is already dark."

Eisele added that although pedestrians have the right of way, they need to make sure drivers see them before they cross a street.