By Bryce Abshier – Contact Bryce@VoiceofSouthMarion.com
A 12-year-old Belleview Middle School student, Kennadie Resko, has returned home following her hospitalization after a hit-and-run incident involving a truck and trailer. The incident occurred on Wednesday, November 6, as Kennadie was walking in the grassy shoulder along County Road 467 (CR 467) when a northbound truck hauling a trailer drifted off the road and struck her.
According to the girl’s mother, Sara Resko, Kennadie sustained severe injuries, including rubber particles embedded in her leg, which required surgical removal at UF Health Shands Trauma Center. Kennadie is now recovering at home, though her mobility remains limited. Sara noted that Kennadie’s progress will be gradual and explained that her daughter is not out of the woods yet.
The Resko family’s ordeal began when Sara, while at work, received any mother’s worst nightmare: a phone call from the Belleview Middle School administration saying her daughter had been involved in an accident. “We’re letting you know your daughter was involved in a hit-and-run,” Sara recalled. She was informed that Kennadie was initially transported to Advent Health, then trauma-alerted to Shands. Sara remarked that from the moment she learned of the incident, and until she could physically lay eyes on her daughter, she was panicked and grief-stricken.
Kennadie’s injuries extended from her knee to her hip, marked by extensive bruising and embedded rubber. Treatment required morphine, and the pain during rubber removal was so severe that she had to be sedated. Sara explained that Kennadie currently manages only about 15 steps before her leg gives out. No timeline has been set for her return to school.
The incident has ignited ongoing concerns among local parents regarding safety along CR 467. Both Belleview Middle and Belleview High are grappling with a population explosion, as both schools are functioning beyond capacity. Reports from Marion County Commission meetings earlier this year show that both Belleview High and Belleview Middle School operate at well over 100% capacity.
This surge in new students has not only packed classrooms and added portable buildings, but also caused a spike in traffic on CR 467 during peak hours. Sara highlighted the hazards caused by heavy traffic, the lack of sidewalks, and parents parking on the roadside near Belleview schools to let children out, describing the conditions as “chaos”.
Last Thursday, the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) released an image of a truck and trailer matching the vehicle description from the hit-and-run, identified as a white Dodge Ram. Within 45 minutes of the photo’s release, community tips started pouring rapidly, providing potential leads on the vehicle’s driver, although the person has yet to be identified.
