FORT PIERCE, Fla. -- A 14-year-old girl in Fort Pierce is recovering after she was hit by a car while walking to her bus stop Tuesday morning.
The girl’s mother, Natacha Castor, identified the girl as Nelly Jean-Baptiste, a freshman at Fort Pierce Central High School.
Her injuries are serious, but not life threatening. Castor says her daughter has a broken jaw, and is being held in the hospital for another day or two for observation.
The man accused of hitting Jean-Baptiste, Neftali Pagan, has been released from jail on bond. He faces charges for driving with a suspended license and causing serious injuries as a result of careless driving.
Fort Pierce Police say Pagan did not leave the scene, but Castor says he also did not make clear who he was.
In fact, Castor said Pagan walked up to her and her husband following the accident, spoke to them and Nelly, but never mentioned he caused the accident.
“He went and parked his car and came back and he was talking to us, asking her if she remembered what happened,” Castor said.
The next time Castor saw Pagan, he was with police.
“That shocked me. It would be better for me if he told me I’m sorry, I'm the one who hit her. It’s an accident. Accidents happen,” Castor said.
Castor said she thought her daughter was safe walking to her bus stop, and that Tuesday morning was very routine.
“She just left. She just said bye mom!”
Castor said only minutes later, she got a knock on the door from a good Samaritan who saw her lying by the street.
“I said ‘what happened?’ Then I went out and found her on the ground,” Castor explained.
They knew her injuries were more than just a fall when her face was covered in blood, and a rear view mirror was nearby on the ground.
Castor said she will be driving her children to the bus stop in the future.
Police say although Pagan was secretive about who he was and parked his car away from the scene, he will not be charged with leaving the scene of an accident.