Investigation: Judge behind wheel of car that hit 13-year-old girl
Police find no wrongdoing by judge
Police find no wrongdoing by judge
Police find no wrongdoing by judge
Nearly two months after a Mars Area Middle School student was struck by a car outside the school, she continues to recover at a rehab facility.
Action News Investigates has learned a magistrate judge was driving the car that hit 13-year-old Paige Lauten.
District Judge Sue Haggerty, who is based in Saxonburg, has not commented on the incident.
A police report found Haggerty was not at fault, and she was not cited.
Police said it was about 5:30 p.m. on Nov. 29 when Paige and several friends left Mars Middle School for the Sheetz on the other side of Route 228.
When westbound traffic slowed to a stop, police said Paige and another young person tried running across the street. Haggerty was driving eastbound. Her Lexus struck Paige, throwing her body into the air.
The police report said Haggerty's estimated speed was 35 miles per hour, which is below the speed limit.
The report also said police did not suspect Haggerty of any drug or alcohol use, and they did not order her to be tested.
Butler County District Attorney Richard Goldinger told Action News Investigates that Haggerty voluntarily submitted to a field sobriety test, and there was no indication she was impaired. Haggerty, who's been a magistrate judge for 25 years, did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
Adams Township police said Haggerty did not receive any special treatment.
"Just because a judge was involved and they're an elected official, that doesn't change their status. There's no favoritism involved," said Assistant Chief Robert Scanlon.
A Facebook page monitoring Paige's recovery said she was in the Children's Hospital intensive care unit for nearly a month.
Since then, she has been undergoing rehab at the Children's Home and Lemieux Family Center.
Paige's family declined to comment.
There is no crosswalk between the middle school and the Sheetz. Following the accident, Mars Area school officials met with PennDOT to discuss improvements to the intersection.