OCALA, Fla. – A 13-year-old boy died after he was hit while crossing the street around 6:50 a.m. Thursday, according to Ocala police.
The boy, identified by Marion County Public Schools as 7th-grader Douglas Zazueta, was with his mother on a motorcycle headed east down Southwest 20th Street, which is where the woman stopped the motorcycle in the center turn lane, police said.
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Investigators said the boy got off the bike after seeing a friend on the sidewalk nearby and attempted to cross the road.
The Liberty Middle School student ran across the westbound lanes of traffic where a Marion County Public School maintenance vehicle pulling a trailer hit the boy.
Ocala police said the boy was critically injured and taken to a hospital. He was then flown to the University of Florida Health Shands Hospital, where he ultimately died, police said.
“Our hearts go out to his family during this extremely difficult time,” Jeff Walczak, Public Information Officer for the Ocala Police Department, said.
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