Girl, 15, hit by van outside dentist office

WOODBRIDGE, Va. – Michaela never made it to the dentist Thursday to get her braces adjusted.

The 15-year-old girl and her mother, Rulla Andress, rode a medical transport van to her dentist’s office, in the 2200 block of Opitz Boulevard in Woodbridge.

When Michaela got out of the large, Dodge van, she was struck by a Chevrolet Astro van that was backing out of its parking space.

Michaela’s mother said her daughter laid on the ground, screaming in pain after she was hit.

The driver of the medical van called 911, he said, and Michaela was flown to a local hospital to be treated for her injuries.

Police have not said how serious Michaela’s injuries are or if anyone has been charged.

“She’s just the perfect child,” said Andress, holding back tears and smoking a cigarette as she watched the helicopter that had her daughter inside fly over the crash scene, on its way to the hospital.

It’s not clear why Andress took her daughter to the dentist on a medical transport bus. She was waiting for someone from her home to come pick her up to take her to the hospital to be with her daughter.

Once the victim was flown out, a police crash investigation team took over the scene.

The driver of the medical van stopped in a portion of the parking lot that is used for through traffic. The medical van was parked in such a way that would have ultimately blocked the Astro van from pulling out under normal circumstances.

Emmy Chek, the driver of the Astro van said her cell phone rang as she was backing out. It was her father calling, whom she was on her way to get, to bring him back to the medical complex for a scheduled doctor’s appointment she forgot he had.

She saw his number display on the phone’s screen, but didn’t answer the call, she said.

“I brought my mother to the doctor’s this morning, but when we got here they told us my father also had an appointment, so I was leaving to go back home to pick him up,” said Chek, who lives near Dumfries.

The driver of the medical van, operated by D&N Medical Transport, said he only heard the girl’s screams after she was hit. The man declined to give his name and promptly left the scene as soon as police allowed.

Michaela has three brothers, one of which is Nicholas, who Andress proudly displays a tattoo of his name on her neck.

Her mother said she is kind, likes to smile and laugh.

“I hope she is OK,” said Andress. Someone came to pick her up shortly thereafter.

This story was featured on insidenova.com.