Cary Teen Hospitalized After Being Struck By Car

Andrew Michael Shurney, 16, of Deer Valley Drive in Cary, was walking from N.C. Highway 55 to the school and was hit by the vehicle while attempting to cross

Carpenter-Upchurch Road

in front of the school.

Shurney was taken to the hospital, where he is listed in critical condition. Cary police are investigating, and have not determined whether the driver, Thomas P. Hand, 78, will face charges.

The area where Shurney was hit is not an area where students routinely cross the road, said Lt. Mark Parker with the Cary Police Department. Three years ago, barriers were placed at the railroad crossing where Shurney was walking to keep vehicles from crossing the tracks.

But it has not stopped walkers from taking the same path.

"There are no crosswalks there," Parker said. "There are no sidewalks on that road."

Police would not say if speed was a factor in the accident, but many people who live in the area believe the 45 mph speed limit on the road bordering the school is too high.

"I believe they should be lowered to 25 mph during school times with the children and other drivers there," said Steven Gebeaux, who lives near the school.

There are yellow signs along the road suggesting that motorists go 35 mph, but the speed limit is still 45 mph, because, according to the North Carolina Department of Transportation, there have been no serious problems in the area.

In the past year, there have only been two minor accidents, neither of which involved pedestrians. The DOT said, too, that few people walk in the area.

Still, students who WRAL spoke with on Monday said the once-rural area can be dangerous at times during the school day.

"You gotta be careful," said Dustin Isbell. "Yeah, every road is busy before and after school."