2024-08-16 13:08:47
A mother accidentally hit her 12-year-old daughter while driving her to school for the first day, Florida authorities said.
On August 12, the girl was dropped off at a middle school in Sarasota, Florida (USA). As she was getting out of the car, her backpack fell off and some of her belongings rolled under her mother’s Lincoln Navigator. Unbeknownst to her mother, the girl crawled under the SUV to retrieve them, just as her mother got behind the wheel.
Deputy Sheriff Ken Watson told the station about the incident: “The mother immediately stopped when she heard her daughter scream.”
The girl was airlifted to a hospital in St. Petersburg. As of Monday evening, the hospital said her condition remained critical.
“We hope something like this never happens again, but we need to remember to be mindful of the area around the school, especially when dropping off your children,” Watson said.
The principal of the school where the incident occurred urged parents to “follow established procedures for removing” children from the car.
“The school district encourages all families to follow district and school safety protocols and utilize designated pickup and drop-off areas on school property,” a Sarasota County Schools spokesperson said.
The spokesman added that the incident took place outside the school grounds.
The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating.
“This tragedy could have been 100% avoided if we had just been a little more careful and taken our time,” Watson said.
Earlier, Cursor wrote about the murder of a child by his mother in Herzliya.