ANAHEIM, Calif. — Eight members of the Anaheim High School running team were injured when a suspected drunk driver crashed into them during a run Wednesday afternoon.
The students were waiting at a traffic light at the intersection of Harbor Boulevard and W. North Street when they were struck by the vehicle as it went off the road around 3 p.m., ABC reports. Anaheim Police said eight students, ages 16 and 17, were hurt. Witnesses say people from a nearby medical clinic helped the injured students before first responders arrived.
Three of the students were immediately taken to a hospital with serious injuries, while five others were transported after initial treatment at the scene. All are expected to survive.
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Video surveillance from a nearby business shows an orange Toyota veer right and head toward the corner where the students were standing.
“They were doing what they were supposed to do, wait, and they got hit by the car,” Anaheim Police Sergeant Matt Sutter said in a statement to CBS News.
A coach running with the students was coming up to the intersection when he witnessed the crash. School resource officers were also on scene following the incident.
The driver, a 27-year-old Anaheim man, was taken to the hospital in unknown condition and was later arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol.
Tips for Keeping High School Runners Safe
According to the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), the are almost 500,000 cross country athletes and more than one million track and field athletes at the high school level. It is standard for high school distance runners to practice in neighborhoods around campuses and to be escorted by at least one adult.
The National Center for Catastrophic Sport Injury Research (NCCSIR) has documented eight motor vehicle crashes involving student-athletes between 2011 and 2020, resulting in nine deaths, one permanent disability, and one serious injury.
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In 2010, 16-year-old Sherman Oaks Notre Dame distance runner Conor Lynch was struck and killed near the school while trying to cross the street. Notre Dame track coach Joe McNab told the LA Times that collisions during practice are every running coach’s “nightmare scenario.”
NFHS recommends the following safety tips for roadside running:
- Use sidewalks when available or run facing traffic.
- Stay alert and avoid wearing headphones and using electronic devices, including cell phones.
- Cross roads at crosswalks and intersections, when available. If not, cross at a well-lit location.
- Avoid running when it is dark. If it is dark, wear bright, reflective materials and/or use a flashlight or head lamp.
- Follow the rules of the road.
- Avoid running along eastbound roads at sunrise or along westbound roads at sunset.
- Provide a safety orientation for first-year runners.
- Run in pairs.
- Never run against traffic lights.
- Avoid running in higher traffic speed areas.
- Run during lower traffic times if running along a road.
- Avoid loitering along the road before and after runs.
