Boy, 9, killed after crawling under school bus to retrieve football
A 9-year-old Florida boy was struck and killed by his school bus after the driver had no idea he’d crawled under it to get his dropped football, according to cops.
The Lawton Chiles Elementary School pupil, who has not been identified, was the last child to get off the bus Tuesday afternoon in suburban Orlando, the Florida Highway Patrol said.
After getting off, he dropped his football — and crawled under the then-stationary bus to get it, the boy’s aunt told Fox 35 News
The driver was unaware the boy was there when he started to drive off, accidentally running over and killing the youngster, investigators told the outlet.
“It is absolutely devastating for this family … [and] also for our investigators that have to investigate this type of scene,” said FHP spokesperson Lt. Tara Crescenzi.
The youngster died at the scene outside the Waterford East Apartments in Orange County. He had not been identified as of Wednesday.
There were no other children on the bus at the time, and the unidentified 54-year-old bus driver remained at the scene, Crescenzi said.
The driver, who has 10 years’ experience, was interviewed, officials said.
The bus was towed away to check for possible mechanical issues as troopers also reviewed footage from the bus and nearby surveillance cameras to determine exactly what happened.
Kenia Joachim, a mom of three, told WESH-TV that her 7-year-old son was best friends with the child who died.
“Almost every day, he would be outside my house, my apartment door, just playing, or they would be on the playground playing. It’s crazy,” she said, adding that her son was “shaking” when he learned of his friend’s death.
Orange County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Maria Vazquez released a statement addressing what she called “the tragic death of one of our precious students.”
“My heartfelt thoughts and prayers go out to the student’s family and school community,” Vazquez wrote.
“To lose a child so suddenly and tragically is extremely difficult, especially for family and friends.”
