MARINETTE, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — A driver pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges she allegedly struck a pedestrian while she was distracted by a child in the back seat.
Amber Renner, 37, waived a preliminary hearing and pleaded not guilt to knowingly operating while suspended, causing great bodily harm. She returns to court April 3 for a status conference, court records show.
On Dec. 8, police say 17-year-old Bryce Steinfath was walking through a crosswalk near the intersection of Carney Avenue and Josephine Street when he was hit by a car and dragged down the street.
Renner stopped at the scene and called 911. She talked with police shortly after the crash.
“She said she was traveling West on Carney Avenue and heard a noise in the back seat where one of the kids were seated. She said she turned to check on the child who was identified as [A.S.]. Amber said when she turned back around, she saw him in the middle of the roadway directly in the front of her vehicle. She said she struck him and immediately pulled over. She said she got out of the vehicle to check on him and saw he was hurt, so she immediately called 911 for help. She kept saying she didn’t see him in the road. She also was saying she was scared, because she had a suspended driver’s license because of a class she was supposed to take,” the complaint states.
Steinfath was taken to the hospital with serious injuries, including a broken femur, multiple broken ribs, and broken clavicle, according to the complaint.
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