The second girl involved in the crash has since been released from the hospital
Credit: GettyWCVB Channel 5 Boston/YouTube
NEED TO KNOW
- A 12-year-old girl died after she and another child collided with a school bus while riding a motorized scooter in Massachusetts
- “While these vehicles are widely available and, in many cases, unregulated, they can pose very real dangers — especially for young adolescents who may not yet have the experience, judgment or understanding of traffic laws needed to operate them safely,” Haverhill Public Schools Superintendent Margaret Marotta said
- The second girl involved in the crash has since been released from the hospital
A 12-year-old girl has died after she and another child collided with a school bus while riding a motorized scooter in Massachusetts.
On Thursday, June 25, two children were riding a scooter together when they collided with a school bus at approximately 4 p.m. local time, the Essex County District Attorney's office said in a news release.
After emergency responders were dispatched to the intersection of Portland Street and 5th Avenue in Haverhill, both children were transported to nearby hospitals.
One of the children, a 12-year-old girl, later died from her injuries, Essex County District Attorney Paul F. Tucker and Haverhill Police Department Chief Wayne Tracy confirmed.
Credit: Getty
According to WCVB, the second girl involved in the crash has been released from the hospital.
“It looked like they tried to hit their brakes to try to stop and like speed wobble, and they smashed right into it,” Nic Mello, a bystander who stepped in to help after the crash, told the outlet. “I saw them fall to the ground, the scooter got smashed. At first, I didn't really believe it, but then I heard the girl screaming, so I started to run to her."
While the child's identity was not released, the Massachusetts State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section, the Haverhill Police and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner are continuing to investigate the cause of the collision.
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“Two girls on one scooter, they just went fast and they hit the bus,” one child who witnessed the incident told NBC10, while another recalled seeing the two girls under the bus “on the floor, not moving.”
Credit: Getty
Following the incident, Haverhill Public Schools Superintendent Margaret Marotta wrote a letter to the district's staff, emphasizing that “moments like these affect all of us.”
"Our hearts are with the student's family, friends, classmates, and everyone affected by this unimaginable loss,” she wrote, per NBC10 and WCVB. “We also keep the other student involved in our thoughts and wish them strength and healing. I know many of you are grieving alongside our students and families. Whether you knew this student personally or are simply feeling the weight of this tragedy, please know that your feelings are valid.”
"While these vehicles are widely available and, in many cases, unregulated, they can pose very real dangers — especially for young adolescents who may not yet have the experience, judgment or understanding of traffic laws needed to operate them safely,” Marotta continued of the electric scooters. "Many young people ride friends' scooters or ride together, often without fully appreciating the risks involved. These conversations could save a life.”
Haverhill Public Schools is offering drop-in grief counseling services at J.G. Whittier Middle School for students, families and staff who may want to stop by for support, per NBC10.
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