MURRELLS INLET -- An Horry County teenager is recovering, after being hit by a car as she walked home from school Thursday.
South Carolina Highway Patrol says the 15-year-old girl was struck by a car that lost control, as she walked along Highway 707 at Vestry Drive, the entrance to the Springfield development in Murrells Inlet.
A friend of the girl's family says the teenager is in intensive care, with her parents by her side. The girl is said to be awake and slowly recovering.
"She can grab her mother's hand if her mother asks. So it's going to be a long recovery, but we're all praying that she's going to be fine," said Marsha Coulson.
Horry County school officials say the girl is a freshman at St. James High School, a little more than 3 miles away from the site of the accident.
Coulson and others who live in the Springfield community say the blind curves, heavy traffic and lack of space to walk along the highway make the road a real hazard, especially for pedestrians.
"There's no shoulders, so there's no room and everything's up close, so it's dangerous," said Carole Roberts.
Other Springfield residents say some drivers simply ignore the speed limit on the highway.
"They're flying through there," said Bill Panas. "I mean, they're not going 45 (miles per hour). People go through there, they fly."
A chiropractor whose office is across the road from where the accident occurred, says on the rare occasions when he goes out on the road, he takes extra precautions.
"If I go for a run out here or something, I'm going against traffic, just to make sure if a car's coming I might have a place to head for the ditch if I need to be," said Dr. Jeff Davis.
Highway 707 will eventually be expanded to four lanes, plus sidewalks on both sides. Davis says that will make the road much safer, but it's still a few years away.
Carole Roberts says, in the meantime, "707 has become dangerous."
Highway Patrol says no charges have been filed against the driver of the car that hit the girl, though the accident remains under investigation.
