Student on electric scooter hit by vehicle outside Prairie Star Middle School

LEAWOOD, Kan. — KSHB 41 reporter Elyse Schoenig covers Johnson County. She also focuses on issues surrounding the cost of healthcare, saving for retirement and personal debt. Share your story idea with Elyse.

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A student on an electric scooter was struck by a vehicle outside Prairie Star Middle School Monday morning.

Leawood police say the 13-year-old boy was hit around 7:35 a.m. in the 3800 block of 143rd Street.

The boy was heading westbound on the sidewalk on his way to school. But as he crossed the entrance to the neighboring Prairie Star Elementary School, he was struck by an eastbound vehicle turning left into the parking lot.

The boy was wearing a helmet and was alert and talking when the first officer arrived, police said.

The student was transported to an area hospital for observation.

Prairie Star Middle School Principal Eric Rembold sent a note to parents saying counselors, teachers and administrators would be available for anyone who needs to talk.

Leawood Ward 1 Councilmember Alan Sunkel, who serves on the city's Bike Walk Committee, said his thoughts go out to the boy who was hit.

Sunkel also pointed to recent action the city has taken on electric vehicle safety.

"We did just pass a helmet ordinance for kids under 16 on any electric vehicle, which I think is a great thing," Sunkel said.

KSHB 41

More work is ahead, Sunkel said.

"We will be addressing more, safer rules for the electric vehicles, because it is a problem," he said. "It's a problem for the riders; it's a problem for the drivers."

That work is already underway. All of Leawood's streets are being studied through the Safe Streets initiative. The city is accepting public feedback on dangerous roads and intersections through Thursday and will share an update on the study at an open house on Sept. 1.

The Leawood Police Department said two crossing guards are stationed at the school campus, but there is no crossing guard at the specific parking lot entrance where Monday's crash happened.

Chris Morrison / KSHB

In a previous report, KSHB 41 reporter Elyse Schoenig learned how crossing guards for several Johnson County school districts train. Ashley Helm, assistant team manager for the Midwest with All City Management Services, offered a reminder of how quickly things can go wrong.

"It takes five seconds for an accident to happen," Helm said.

Sunkel said awareness on all sides is key to preventing future crashes.

"The focus should be on behavior, and just operating these vehicles as safely as possible, and for the driving public to be aware of the vehicles constantly," Sunkel said.

Andrae Hannon / KSHB

Making streets safer for all kinds of commuters is the end goal, Sunkel said.

Within the last year, several cities in the metro have created new laws around electric bikes and scooters. Nearly every city now requires anyone under the age of 18 to wear a helmet while riding an e-scooter. Some cities have speed limits for e-scooters, and most have rules about when e-scooters are allowed on streets versus sidewalks.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

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