INDEPENDENCE, Mo. — An elderly man is in serious condition and three children are in the hospital after a school bus hit a pedestrian Friday.

Just before 8 a.m. police say a school bus turning left from Swope Drive onto M-78 Highway hit a man who was crossing the roadway.

Police tell FOX 4 News the older man who was walking is in serious condition. He suffered a head injury and was bleeding from his head, but police say he was able to talk with officers and paramedics on the scene.

Three middle schoolers also hit their heads on the bus when it came to an abrupt stop. Ambulance crews rushed them to Centerpoint Medical Center for evaluation. A witness tells FOX 4 News it’s not unusual for people in the neighborhood to walk out into traffic.

“In this community we have several people who walk up and down these streets every day at a fast pace, you know, carefree,” said Carl Thornton, property manager for the Meadowbrook Apartments. “And they cross the street not looking, not being aware of what’s going on around them. So that doesn’t surprise me.”

A neighbor who knows the injured man told FOX 4 News he likes to walk the area and pick up cans and bottles for recycling.

The other school children on the bus were taken to the Bingham Middle School cafeteria to be checked for any bumps or bruises. They then were sent on to class. The school district says all parents were notified about what happened.

Police say speed doesn’t appear to have been a factor in this accident. The bus had slowed down to make the turn before hitting the elderly man.