Driver Charged With Hitting Boy At Bus Stop In Eastover

A driver has been charged with hitting a boy at a school bus stop in Eastover on March 1, causing him to suffer personal injuries.

According to the North Carolina Highway Patrol, 20-year-old Eastover resident Luis Armando Castro Sandoval was driving a 1999 Nissan that struck 9-year-old John Hanmilton.

The accident took place at approximately 7:30 a.m. Trooper T.R. Harris reported that the school bus had stopped and the driver had activated the flashing red lights and stop arm.

Sandoval was southbound on U.S. 301 and failed to stop in time to avoid striking Hanmilton, who had started walking across the road to board the bus.

Harris said Sandoval was traveling at an estimated speed of 15 mph at the time of the accident.

According to a statement from Harris on March 2, Sandoval slowed, stuck his head out of the window, and asked Hanmilton if he was OK. But Hanmilton’s mother later told a reporter that Sandoval didn’t check on the boy.

Hanmilton received transport to Cape Fear Valley Medical Center for treatment for scrapes and bruises.

Sandoval was cited for passing a stopped school bus, careless and reckless driving, and hit-and-run.