Hit by a minivan after theater practice, student still clutched his script

Aaron Lancaster should have been with his Timber Creek High School teammates Tuesday as they competed in their one-act play contest.

But instead he was in ICU at a Grapevine hospital, the victim of a hit-and-run near the Keller district high school on Sunday night. Lancaster and other students had just finished rehearsals and he was found lying in the crosswalk, still gripping the script from “Ugly Lies the Bone,” a friend said.

Timber Creek students gathered Wednesday to talk about Lancaster, a 16-year-old sophomore.

Friend and fellow thespian Megan McCormack said she saw Lancaster an instant before he was struck about 8:15 p.m. on Alta Vista Road at Funnel Street in north Fort Worth.

“When I was driving home, I stopped and he walked in front of my car,” McCormack said. “I watched him walk most of the way across the street on the other side and I thought he was clear, so I drove. I missed seeing him get hit by a couple seconds.”

The vehicle that hit Lancaster — a silver 2004-06 Toyota Sienna minivan — fled the scene, said officer Daniel Segura, a police spokesman.

Lancaster, who remains in intensive care at Baylor Scott & White Medical Center - Grapevine, suffered multiple broken bones and a head injury and has a long recovery ahead of him, said Timber Creek Principal Donald Bartlett.

On Tuesday, his teammates advanced out of the District 3-6A One-Act Play competition to the next round, which is Thursday.

Lancaster is an alternate on the team, which required him to know the lines for multiple roles. He also helped with set design, costumes and makeup, McCormack said.

She said it was difficult for the group to continue without him, but they felt an extra push to perform at a high level.

“He was on our minds,” she said.

Support for Lancaster goes beyond Timber Creek, as other high school theater groups have shared messages for the teen, using #PrayersForAaron. A GoFundMe account was set up to help pay for medical expenses and on Wednesday his classmates wore red because “Red” is the name of his favorite play, McCormack said.

“Aaron is the sweetest person I know,” McCormack said. “Every morning, he would always have a huge smile on his face and he would hug every person he sees and tell them how much he loves them.”

The intersection where Lancaster was struck — near five Keller district schools — has been the site of some vehicle/pedestrian collisions and a lot of near-misses, according to the city of Fort Worth, which added a pedestrian-activated flashing light system about two years ago.

“The city of Fort Worth has done some things to make [the crosswalk] more safe, but it is not safe enough,” Bartlett said.

Bartlett said the fact that the driver sped away after hitting Aaron puts him “at a loss of words.”

This story was originally published March 22, 2017 at 5:09 PM with the headline "Hit by a minivan after theater practice, student still clutched his script."