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ROSEVILLE — A Roseville Middle School student who spent several months in the hospital after being hit by a car while walking to school in April has returned home.
At approximately 7:20 a.m. April 26, Julia Wallace, a Roseville Middle School student, was struck by a car while walking to school at Martin Road and Barkman Street. She was taken to the hospital, where she was in critical condition and on life support for several weeks.
In a Facebook post Sept. 2, her mother, Tina DeBlauwe, announced that Wallace, 13, had returned home.
“She is alive and finally home after 4 months of being in the hospital,” she said in the post. “She is amazing with how far she has come but now is the hard stuff.”
Julia was diagnosed with oral apraxia, a disorder where a child may have difficulty coordinating and initiating movement of the jaw, lips, tongue and soft palate. According to the Mayo Clinic, it can be the result of a brain condition or stroke, infection or traumatic brain injury.
Therapy can help to treat the condition, according to the Mayo Clinic.
“With a lot of hard work and therapy, they could fix this,” DeBlauwe said in the post.
Shortly after the incident, a webpage to gather online donations was created for her. At press time, it had raised $27,125 of its $50,000 goal. It can be found at www.go fundme.com/f/prayers4juliagrace.
Roseville Community Schools Superintendent Mark Blaszkowski communicated support for Julia and her family.
“We are here for the family when they are at the point they need us,” he said. “She just got home and has a long road to her recovery.”
The driver of the vehicle, a 21-year-old man from Detroit, immediately stopped and cooperated with police, a Roseville Police Department press release from the time of the incident stated.
Changes made for student safety
During a May 2 school board meeting, Blaszkowski said that the city would begin a traffic study in the area.
“We have talked with the city, and they have made some changes to the speed limit around both the middle school and the high school,” he said in a prepared statement Sept. 13.
After the study, Roseville Police Chief Ryan Monroe requested that the City Council approve an order to reduce the speed limit on Martin Road to 25 miles per hour during school hours. He said the request was approved at a meeting in late June or early July, and the appropriate signage was posted.
Additionally, the department placed a crossing guard at the intersection. Previously, there hadn’t been one due to a low degree of pedestrian traffic, he said.
“Crossing guards are placed at a location after a request is made by the district. A study is then done to see if a need exists,” he said.
Before the current school year, crossing guards were supplied by the district; however, now they are hired and trained by the Police Department.
Monroe also worked with the district to add a school resource officer who will serve both middle schools within the district.
“Historically, we have only had a school resource officer at Roseville High School,” Monroe said in an email. “This (new school resource) officer will continue to monitor any issues related to children walking to and from the middle schools.”
Contact Staff Writer Brian Wells at (248) 291-7637 or bwells@candgnews.com.
