ROSEBORO, NC – The 8-year-old girl who was hit by a truck while exiting her school bus in Roseboro Thursday suffered a broken femur and fractured hip, the girl’s family said.
Jeannie Sue Jernigan, a Beaver Dam Elementary School student, was getting off bus 932 around 2:45 p.m. on Highway 210 near Ingram Road when she was hit. The bus had its flashing lights on and stop sign out when a GMC pickup truck traveling in the opposite direction did not stop and hit the girl, police said.
Jernigan’s family said she was getting off at a stop near her grandmother’s house when she was hit.
The girl’s parents said they were shocked by the accident as Jeannie and the bus driver always communicate using hand signals so she knows when to cross the road.
Jeannie is in “good spirits” but has a long road to recovery. Her family said they are “extremely fortunate and thankful things didn’t end up so much worse.”
The girl’s femur was broken completely and her hip was fractured. Family also said she has some internal bleeding.
Aaron Bruce, 24, has been charged in connection with the accident. Bruce was charged with felony passing a stopped school bus.
The Jernigans hope this highlights the importance of drivers braking for stopped school buses.