A 17-year-old Auburn teen escaped with minor injuries after she reportedly ran out into Highway 49 traffic and was hit by a vehicle late Wednesday night.

The teen, whose name was not released because she is a minor, was hit at about 10 p.m. at the intersection of Highway 49 and Elm Avenue, according to Capt. John Ruffcorn with the Auburn Police Department.

“The investigation revealed that the pedestrian was near the curb and suddenly ran out into the street and got hit by a car traveling approximately 10 miles per hour,” Ruffcorn said Thursday.

“It appeared that she had been drinking alcoholic beverages,” Ruffcorn said. But he could not say whether or not that was the cause of the collision.

Ruffcorn said authorities concluded that the minor was responsible for the accident and did not cite the driver of the vehicle.

The minor was transported to Sutter Roseville Hospital to treat contusions and lacerations to her head, Ruffcorn said.

She was not arrested, according to Ruffcorn.

Witness account

Debbie Grant was riding home with her family from an all-star baseball game in Rocklin when they were stopped at the intersection. While waiting for the light to change, Grant said she, her husband and her two children watched as the young girl ran out in front of the cars ahead of them and then into the path of the vehicle that hit her.

“He knocked her up off the ground and he wasn’t going that fast,” Grant said. “It was one of the most disturbing things I’ve ever seen.”

Grant, a Grass Valley resident, said the family pulled off to the side of the road and she used their vehicle’s OnStar system to call the police.

She described the incident as “bizarre” as she watched another man try to pull the young woman away from the scene.

“I yelled out the window, ‘She’s injured, don’t move her!’” Grant recalled.

She said the driver of the vehicle stopped them and told them to wait until police arrived.

Grant said it was an “eye-opening” experience, especially for her 15-year-old son.

“It was a good lesson for my kids,” Grant said. “I tell them anything can happen anytime so you always have to pay attention, especially since my son is going to be driving really soon. It was definitely an eye-opener for him.”

Grant said she had to return to Rocklin again Thursday night.

“I think I’m going to avoid that intersection,” she said.

The Journal's Jenifer Gee can be reached at jeniferg@goldcountrymedia.com or post a comment.