Background: The intersection of East Ramsey and South Swift avenues in Cudahy, Wisconsin, where the victim was hit (WTMJ/YouTube). Inset: Darlene Adam (Milwaukee County Sheriff”s Office).
An 89-year-old woman from Wisconsin faces allegations of hitting a 9-year-old girl on her way to school and fleeing the scene.
Darlene Adam has been charged with leaving the scene of an accident resulting in injury, as detailed in a criminal complaint accessed by Law&Crime.
It was before 8 a.m. on Oct. 28, a Tuesday, and Lenci Lambert was on her way to school, as local NBC affiliate WTMJ reported. At a crosswalk at the intersection of East Ramsey and South Swift avenues in Cudahy, a Milwaukee suburb, a crossing guard raised his stop sign.
The incident occurred while the crossing guard, donned in a “high-visibility vest,” was stationed in the crosswalk. As the young girl, Lenci, began to cross, a silver sedan approached at speed, striking Lenci and leaving the scene without halting, according to the criminal complaint.
When police arrived, they discovered Lenci lying on the street surrounded by concerned onlookers. After speaking with the crossing guard, officers sought surveillance footage of the incident. Their search proved fruitful when a nearby hospital provided footage showing a silver Ford Focus in its parking lot.
The vehicle exhibited “fresh damage to the front passenger side, a cracked windshield, and what appeared to be a handprint on the glass.” An investigator located Adam and inquired whether she recalled any incidents earlier in the day. Adam mentioned she thought either a rock had struck her car or she had hit a construction barrel.
Adam reportedly did not inspect her car for damage until reaching the hospital, at which point she noticed new damage. The complaint notes she was unsure of her speed at the time and did not recall seeing the crossing guard in the intersection.
Investigators spoke with another witness, who said they observed “a cup and a shoe fly up in the air” and then a sedan driving away. An additional witness said the car “did not brake” before hitting the girl.
Lenci, who has since turned 10, was brought to a children’s hospital. Law enforcement officers met with her as part of their investigation, finding her with “bandages on her arms and legs” and “abrasions and bruising” to her left cheek, left eye, and forehead.
If Adam is convicted of the crime, she could be placed in jail for up to nine months and fined up to $10,000. She is scheduled to appear in court on Dec. 18, per WTMJ.
Adam told Milwaukee’s ABC affiliate WISN that it was an accident and she never saw the girl.
“I’m giving up my license,” she added.
