3 Young Boys Hit by Car in Busy Street : Accident: Six-year-olds were returning to their private school from a nearby park and were crossing the thoroughfare single-file when the last three in line were struck.

Three young boys returning from an outing in the park with their schoolteacher were seriously injured Thursday evening when they were struck by a car while crossing a busy street near their school, police said.

The accident occurred at about 5:20 p.m. as nine first- and second-graders were returning to Fairmont Private School, at 4757 Valley View Ave., from Valley View Youth Park, a small area within Hurless Barton Park, across the street, Brea Police Lt. Cliff Trimble said.

The unidentified teacher was at the head of a single line of students and had just crossed the southbound lanes of Valley View Avenue in a section of the street not marked by a crosswalk when the last three children in line, all 6-year-old boys, were struck by a car.

Two of the children were taken by paramedics to UCI Medical Center in Orange and were being treated for “critical trauma” injuries, according to Michele Palmer, a dispatcher for the Orange County Fire Department.

The third child was taken to Western Medical Center-Santa Ana and was listed in serious condition, Palmer said.

None of the victims were identified.

The driver of the vehicle, a late model Camaro, was taken to police headquarters for questioning and then released.

Trimble said the accident was under investigation but would not say whether the driver might be charged.

The accident shocked teachers and students at the school, a private academy that offers preschool through second-grade education.

School director Lynn Thatcher said it is a part of the daily school regimen for teachers to take their students to the park for a play period.

Thatcher said students are commonly escorted across the street to the park, which is directly opposite the school, even though there is no marked crosswalk. The closest crosswalk is about 100 yards north of the school near Orange Avenue.

Some residents and business owners near the school said traffic conditions can be hazardous at dusk because vision is obscured by a glare from lights on playing fields at the park.

“It’s a difficult time to see, and cars are always speeding through here,” said Michael Castillo, who owns a video-production business near the school.

Castillo, a Corona resident, said his 3-year-old son attends the private school.

“I’ve seen them cross the street before. They look like little ducks all lined up behind the mother duck,” he said. “They are very careful; it’s a routine.”

However, Castillo’s wife, Jettie, said many residents have worried that an accident might occur.

“Hopefully, something will be done because of this to make it more safe,” she said. “We all walk across that street and I know that cars go too fast.”