A 12-year-old girl was critically injured in a horrific accident on her first day of school. The unnamed child was reportedly getting out of the car at Booker Middle School in Sarasota, Florida, when she dropped her backpack and a few things fell out. What happened next changed the lives of everyone in the school community.
According to WFTS, the child's mother didn't realize her daughter had bent down as the girl was apparently out of her line of vision. She started to move her SUV and accidentally ran over her daughter. Crews airlifted the girl to an area hospital, where she is fighting for her life. It's a cautionary tale for parents and students in the drop-off line this year.
More from CafeMom: Toddler Runs Over, Kills 2-Year-Old Girl After Dad Left Her Alone in Running Truck
The accident occurred during regular drop-off at school.
The unidentified mother dropped off her daughter around 7:45 a.m. August 12, WFTS reported. After she got out of the car, the child apparently dropped the backpack with her supplies and was scrambling to pick them up, Florida Highway Patrol Trooper Kenn Watson told the news station. The mother didn't see her child, who was reportedly on her hands and knees, and ran over her with her Lincoln Navigator SUV.
The child began to scream.
According to Watson, the mother stopped as soon as she heard her daughter's cries.
"Here we are, day one, and we've already had a tragedy," Watson said, per WFTS. "We're hoping this does not happen again, but we have to remember to have that good spatial awareness when you are anywhere around a school zone and most certainly when you are letting your kid out of your vehicle."
The girl was airlifted to Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg in critical condition.
The school's principal sent a message to parents.
The accident has shaken the school community. WFTS obtained a copy of a message Principal Lashawn Frost shared with parents.
"This serves as a reminder of the importance of following our established safety procedures," Frost said. "Please remember that students should not be dropped off in the middle of Myrtle Street. This practice poses a significant risk to our students' safety and the safety of others on the road. We kindly ask that all parents and guardians follow the designated drop-off procedures by using the parent loop. This ensures that students enter the school safely and helps us maintain a secure environment for everyone."
Witnesses are heartbroken for the child and her mother.
Myra Moore was taking her kids to school for the first day and pulled up on the accident's aftermath. She told WESH, "I honestly was just wiping tears. Because I said, I cannot imagine what should be a happy day, a joyous day, just turned into tragedy so quickly."
More from CafeMom: Third Grade Teacher Was Drunk in Class on The First Day of School & Ended up in Jail
Watson said this was a heartbreaking accident.
The trooper told WESH the mother wasn't driving too fast; instead, she just didn't realize where her daughter was.
"This is an incident where it was not the speed of the vehicle that caused the injury. It was simply someone being in a rush and making an assumption," Watson said. "Hopefully this child will be able to survive this incident."
