A pedestrian struck by a car Thursday night in Council Bluffs was transported to the hospital suffering from possible head injuries. Council Bluffs Police say emergency personnel were called to the 600 block of N. 28th Street at around 10:18-p.m. Thursday, for an injury accident involving a vehicle and a pedestrian. Upon arrival it was learned that 18-year old Kyleigh Severn, of Council Bluffs, was driving southbound on N. 28th street. The woman told officers she was looking at her phone and not watching the roadway. Her vehicle drifted to the right  and struck a pedestrian, 36-year old Kenneth Hill, of Council Bluffs, and also struck a nearby tree.

Severn told officers she was not aware she had struck anything other than the tree until she stopped her car, exited and saw witnesses tending to the pedestrian. Hill was transported to Jennie Edmundson Hospital’s Emergency Room, treated and eventually released from the hospital. Police said Hill is very fortunate to have suffered only minor injuries as a result of the accident.

Severn told officers she believed she was traveling around the speed limit of 25 mph at the time of the accident. She was issued a citation for unlawful use of an electronic device. If convicted, this charge carries a fine of slightly over $100. The Council Bluffs Police Department is reminding all drivers that use of an electronic device is prohibited while on the traveled portion of the roadway. That includes while stopped for traffic signals or stop signs. Depending upon the circumstances of the accident, penalties range from a fine to license suspension and in the event of a fatality, 10 years imprisonment.

Authorities urge you to “Please put your phones down while behind wheel of your vehicle.”