Fort Myers middle schooler hit by car at bus stop, backpack saves her life

FORT MYERS, Fla. (WINK) — A middle school student was hit by a car while waiting at her bus stop Tuesday morning, leaving more than 50 feet of tire marks in the road and grass along Coconut Drive.

The student heard the squealing of tires moments before the car crashed into her. Her grandfather, Brian Masters, received the first call from his granddaughter after the crash.

"My thought was she was late from school. She missed the bus," Masters said. "Then she goes, I got hit by a car. Well, of course, I dropped in my car and came right up here. I didn't even bring my phone with me."

His wife, Lori Masters, got a call from the school and had to park down the street at a nearby construction site.

"I ran up here. It's been a lot of years since I ran, and I couldn't breathe, thinking your grandchild is hit by a car," Lori Masters said.

The student was taken to the hospital but walked away with a scraped chin and soft tissue damage to her back. Photos from the crash show where the heavy backpack she was wearing left a dent in the driver's side door.

"It actually saved her. We had a miracle. We had a miracle yesterday," Lori Masters said. "We are so thankful, but people have got to slow down."

The Masters family and the School District of Lee County are reminding drivers to slow down, especially in the mornings and afternoons, and to watch for buses and students.