CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Three children were injured when an SUV crashed into a playground at a Chapel Hill elementary school, police said.
Police said Fiona Evans, 40, was charged with a safe-movement violation, news outlets reported.
According to police, Evans was parking her SUV in a lot next to the playground at Northside Elementary School on Caldwell Street on Tuesday when she hit the gas pedal instead of the brake pedal. The vehicle crashed through a fence, striking playground equipment.
School officials said about 20 children were on the playground for the Community Schools afterschool program.
Evans and the two children who were hit were taken to UNC Hospitals for treatment. One child remained hospitalized on Wednesday, police said. A third child was treated at the scene for minor injuries.
Northside Elementary principal Coretta Sharpless on Wednesday described the crash as traumatizing for students and parents, adding that the school community was receiving district-level support as well as in-house support.
She said school staff are hoping for the speedy return of the injured students.
"They are moving forward," she told reporters at a news conference at the school. "We’ve gotten thumbs-up from them, which has warmed our hearts."
Authorities said an investigation is continuing.
Spectrum News 1 reporter Patrick Thomas contributed to this article.