MERIDIAN, Idaho — What started as a typical trip home from school quickly turned into a frightening experience for 9-year-old Heartland Powell.
WATCH | 9-year-old Meridian girl recovering after truck ran over her leg in a crosswalk—
Last month, Heartland and her older sister were riding their scooters home when they attempted to cross Pine Avenue at 3rd Street in Meridian. Heartland said she was nearly across the street when a truck struck her and ran over her leg.
"I was crossing and my sister finished crossing and then the guy came out of nowhere," Heartland said. "I was about to be done crossing and he hit me and then he ran over my leg."
The young girl vividly remembers the moments after the crash.
"I was crying and I just fell completely and people ran over and pulled me out of the street," she said. "One of them said, 'Hold my hand and breathe.'"
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Heartland's father, Richard Powell, said her older sister ran home to get help.
"Her older sister that was with her ran home and got me. I ran back here barefoot," Richard recounted.
According to the family, Heartland suffered a broken ankle and two broken bones in her lower leg. She is still recovering from her injuries and currently has pins in her leg as part of the healing process.
"You can kind of see if you look at the cast, this lump right here is where the two pins are," Powell said. "There's one pointed this way and there's one pointed that way."
The crash has left more than physical scars. Heartland's father said both daughters are now afraid to walk to school.
"They're both terrified to walk to school," he told me. "She doesn't want to walk to school and her older sister won't walk either."
The incident comes as Meridian police are urging drivers to pay extra attention around neighborhoods, intersections and school routes, especially as sunrise comes later and sunset arrives earlier.
Just last week, Meridian police confirmed another young student was hit while using a crosswalk in the Lochsa Falls subdivision.
Officials are reminding drivers to slow down, avoid distractions such as cell phones, and stay aware of children walking or riding bikes to and from school.
Police said pedestrian safety is a shared responsibility and that a few extra seconds of attention behind the wheel could help prevent serious injuries.
For Heartland and her family, that message is personal.
As she continues to recover, her story serves as a reminder to drivers that children are often sharing the road, sidewalks, and crosswalks every day.
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been, in part, converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
