Corbin High student hit by Fire Dept. car while crossing 18th Street

Less than a day after she was hit by a Corbin Fire Department car while trying to cross 18th Street, Melissa Sims was back in class at Corbin High School.

According to police, 14-year-old Sims was trying to cross the road to wait for her ride in a parking lot near Hamblin and Kersey Wednesday afternoon. As she tried to cross the last lane of traffic, the car turned the corner and hit her.

Trish Richardson, who witnessed the incident, told police Sims was nowhere near a cross walk and there was nothing the firefighters could have done to avoid hitting her.

Corbin Fire Chief Barry McDonald, who was a passenger in the vehicle, said the firefighters were going to the bank to deposit money they had raised during their fundraiser for breast cancer research. Jack Partin was driving the car and Alex Onkst was also in the vehicle.

The firefighters tended to Sims until an ambulance arrived on scene.

"She kept apologizing to us," McDonald said.

Sims was taken by ambulance to Baptist Regional Medical Center

"We went up to the hospital later to check on her and she was laying in an exam room texting on her phone," McDonald said.
The fire department car suffered minor damage to the right front area, but was able to be driven from the scene.