Laguna Niguel : Girl, 13, Seriously Hurt in Hit-and-Run Accident

An unidentified driver sped from the scene of an accident Thursday, leaving a 13-year-old girl behind with head injuries and broken bones, police said.

The girl, Noelle Mathieu of Laguna Niguel, was crossing Crown Valley Parkway, near Golden Lantern Street, when she stepped in the way of an oncoming car, said Officer Ken Daily, spokesman for the California Highway Patrol. “The car hit her and just kept on going.”

Two of Noelle’s friends saw the car coming and ran back to the road’s center divider, Daily said. Her friends told police the green, compact car was driven by a woman, but could not describe her.

Noelle was in serious condition at Mission Community Hospital with head injuries, a broken pelvis and right leg, and scrapes to her face, a hospital spokeswoman said.