What to Know
- A 6-year-old boy and his mother have died after being struck by a school bus in Westchester County Thursday, police said.
- The tragedy took place Thursday morning as the pair was walking to school on Mamaroneck Avenue, the Mamaroneck School District said.
- Village of Mamaroneck Police Department confirmed the child died on scene, while his 43-year-old mother was initially taken to an area hospital, where she succumbed to her injuries.
A 6-year-old boy and his mother have died after being struck by a school bus as they walked to school in Westchester County Thursday, police said.
The boy was a kindergartener in Mamaroneck, according to the school district. The two were hit on Mamaroneck Avenue, where a yellow backpack with a ripped-apart strap lied in the middle of the road afterward.
Neither his nor his mother's name have been released. The area was shut down as police investigated. A mini school bus was spotted stopped in the middle of the road in front of the school, with caution tape blocking off the vicinity.
"There is nothing more difficult for a community to experience than the loss of life, and we know that everyone in the Mamaroneck and Larchmont communities is heartbroken by this news," the school district said in part. "We also know that the death of a child is particularly difficult for other children to process. At this time, we have informed our staff of this incredible loss, and social workers and psychologists are fully deployed at MAS."
Village of Mamaroneck Police Department confirmed the child died on scene, while his 43-year-old mother was initially taken to an area hospital, where she succumbed to her injuries.
Get Tri-state area news delivered to your inbox. Sign up for NBC New York's News Headlines newsletter.
According to police, "The bus was turning, there were several parents and children crossing the street at the crosswalk with the walk sign. The driver of the school bus is cooperating with investigators, and it appears at this time that this incident was a tragic accident."
Local
The 68-year-old bus driver from Mount Vernon was not immediately charged; he was so shaken up afterward, he was taken to the hospital.
The bus had a green light and was making a left turn onto Mamaroneck Avenue at the time, police said. There were several students and an adult aide onboard the bus at the time, according to police.
Thursday was the last full day of classes for Mamaroneck schools, with the young boy set to graduate from kindergarten on Monday.
Doris Miranda, who lives near the scene of the fatal accident, told NBC New York that they have wanted traffic cameras in that area, but that has yet to happen.
Miranda said she was inside her residence when she heard "Stop! Stop!" followed by a woman yelling "Oh my God!"
While she has seen "many accidents" in the area over the years, "nothing like this has ever happened."
Although she did not see the accident, Miranda said she and her children, who are 8- and 12-years-old, did see the aftermath -- a sight that has left an impression on them all.
"They need to put cameras here, but they never did," Miranda told NBC New York in Spanish, adding that she has witnessed drivers not stop when they need to. "Really, there should be someone there helping to cross children."
"It is very sad," she said.
