Spotsylvania girl hit by car at bus stop in intensive care with multiple broken bones

March 29--Apreshia Taimanglo was expecting to bask in the birthday spotlight at school on Friday -- the day before she officially turned 12.

Instead, the Post Oak Middle School student wound up in an intensive-care unit with multiple broken bones.

Apreshia -- "Pre" to her family and friends -- was struck by an SUV Friday morning in Spotsylvania County as she crossed the road to board her school bus.

She's at VCU Medical Center in Richmond with three broken ribs, a broken shoulder, a compressed fracture in her spine, a pelvis broken on both sides and a fractured wrist.

The quick-witted girl with the "biggest heart" is facing a long recovery, said family friend Angela Di Spirito. Right now, the family's focus is on minimizing her pain, said Pre's father, Kevin Taimanglo.

"It breaks my heart," Di Spirito said.

Pre was taken to Mary Washington Hospital, where she gave an account of the accident to a deputy, and was then transported to Richmond by ambulance.

These are not her first broken bones. Pre was diagnosed with osteogenesis imperfecta -- known as brittle-bone disease -- last year after breaking her thigh bone while playing tag.

"She recovered from that," Di Spirito said. "Now this."

Pre had been looking forward to being out of school this week for Spring Break, said Di Spirito, who said she had also planned to take the girl to a birthday party next month in Virginia Beach.

She described Pre as the kind of girl who is "always trying to make everybody feel better."

The family has health insurance, but the accident will be a financial hardship nonetheless, Di Spirito said. That's why she set up a GoFundMe page for the family that had raised nearly $4,000 of the $25,000 goal as of Monday afternoon.

"They're a young family with three kids," said Di Spirito, who said she works with Apreshia's father. "It's wonderful to see the community rally around a little girl."

Kevin Taimanglo said he wanted to publicly thank Di Spirito and Eric Hathaway, another co-worker at Mid South Building Supply. He also praised the community in general.

"I want to thank all the support being shown from a lot of people--a lot of people we don't know," Taimanglo said.

The driver of the car that hit the girl is not facing charges, according to the Spotsylvania Sheriff's Office. A spokesman said the driver did "everything they possibly could to avoid striking the child."

"We're done with the investigation," Sheriff's Capt. Jeff Pearce said Monday.

The accident happened about 7 a.m. on Friday, as Pre's school bus approached her Lewiston Road stop. The bus driver put on the vehicle's flashing yellow lights, which signal to drivers that the bus will soon stop.

At that point, Pearce said, Pre started to cross the road to board the bus. The driver of a Toyota Highlander was traveling in the opposite direction from the bus and hit her, Pearce said.

The driver and other witnesses offered medical attention until emergency workers arrived, he said.

Taimanglo said he had no "personal animosity" toward the driver. He added that his family was praying for the driver and the students who witnessed the accident.

Jeff Branscome: 540.374-5402

[email protected]

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