Manheim Township police are searching for the driver of a car that struck a 13-year-old girl Wednesday morning during a hit-and-run at a bus stop in East Petersburg Borough.

Police said the girl was hit by a silver mid-1990s Ford Mustang, which then left the scene. The girl, who was taken by ambulance to Lancaster General Hospital, did not have life-threatening injuries, according to a police news release.

The incident occurred as a southbound bus slowed to pick up the girl at Lemon Street near Linden Avenue.

Sgt. Thomas Rudzinski said the bus was not at a complete stop when the incident occurred, and police are looking into whether the bus' safety devices were turned on when the girl, standing on the curb along the northbound lane, stepped toward the bus.

The Mustang, traveling northbound, slowed, then struck the girl with its passenger-side mirror, which was left on the road as debris, according to Rudzinski. The girl was knocked to the ground, police said.

Rudzinski said had the driver stopped he likely would have avoided prosecution.

"We probably wouldn't have even cited him" for a traffic violation, Rudzinski said. "But he's escalated it now."

Anyone with information is asked to call Manheim Township police at 569-6401.

E-mail: dpidgeon@lnpnews.com