In a tragic turn of events, a 12-year-old Florida resident is in the hospital. Her mom accidentally ran over her on the first day of school. It's a situation that no parent ever wants to find themselves in. That makes it all the more tragic that it was allegedly the Florida girl's mom behind the wheel.
Her mother accidentally ran her over during the morning drop-off. So how did this accident happen? Well, her mother dropped the Florida girl off at school at 7:45 a.m. Unfortunately, the 12-year-old had an accident. She dropped her backpack causing some of her things to roll under her mom's SUV.
The incident happened outside of Booker Middle School in Sarasota, Florida, Highway Patrol Trooper Kenn Watson told ABC Action News. Her mother drove a Lincoln Navigator. The Florida girl's mother wasn't aware that she crawled under the SUV to retrieve her belongings. She was on her hands and knees. So when her mother went to drive away, she tragically struck her.
Florida Girl In Critical Condition
"She immediately stopped when she heard her child scream," Watson told the station. The girl's injuries were extensive. A helicopter airlifted her to Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg following the accident. Unfortunately, she is in critical condition, and so far, there's been no updates on how she's doing.
The police officer is hoping that others can learn from the tragedy. It's important to be aware of your surroundings when behind the wheel.
"Here we are, day one, and we've already had a tragedy," Watson told Action News. "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."
Following the accident, the school began offering counseling for students to process their emotions. Principal Lashawn Frost also told parents to continue to "follow the designated drop-off procedures."
"This is a tragedy that 100% could have been avoided by simply paying a little more attention and not being in a hurry," Watson said.
