A 7-year-old girl was hit by a pickup truck this morning while crossing the road to her bus.

The first-grader, whose name was not immediately released, is in serious condition at Pitt County Memorial Hospital, N.C. Highway Patrol Trooper Steven Dail said.

The school bus was coming to a stop when the girl walked out in front of oncoming traffic, Dail said. The stop arm, which bus drivers tell students is one of the signs to wait for before approaching the bus, was not yet extended.

The accident occurred at 7:23 a.m. on Swift Creek School Road.

The driver of the truck, Henry Ricks of Whitakers, will not be charged.