ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – Grief counselors visited two Orange County elementary schools Wednesday, one day after the Florida Highway Patrol says a school bus fatally struck a 9-year-old boy.
Orange County Fire Rescue said that the crash happened around 3:47 p.m. at the parking lot of the Waterford East Apartments.
In a release, troopers said that the bus was stopped in a roundabout, and the 9-year-old boy got off.
However, the boy — Elyas Marshall-Rodriguez — then ran back and crawled under the bus.
As a result, the right rear tire of the bus struck Marshall-Rodriguez, and he died at the scene, troopers added.
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According to the FHP, Marshall-Rodriguez had been on the school bus, and he was a student at Lawton Chiles Elementary School.
“It was bad for every parent. Now everyone is, like, super cautious. No one is walking by themselves this morning,” Chris Contreras said.
Contreras said he would take his little brother to the playground where the victim used to play.
“He was super charismatic, loud as kids are, he was super fun every time I saw him, he’d be playing around with other kids all the time so. He looked fun to be around. He looked like a sweet, charming kid,” Contreras said.
According to his family, Marshall-Rodriguez was a cancer survivor, having been diagnosed with leukemia at 2 years old.
Grief counselors were at Lawton Chiles Elementary and Waterford Lakes Elementary on Wednesday, since many students in the complex attend that school instead.
Troopers added that investigators have already spoken with the bus driver, and a video of the crash from a nearby apartment clubhouse will be reviewed.
The driver — a 54-year-old Orlando man — was not taken to the hospital and remained at the scene, a release from the FHP shows.
OCPS Superintendent Dr. Maria Vazquez provided the following statement:
“We are deeply saddened to hear of the tragic death of one of our precious students who was involved in a bus accident late this afternoon. My heartfelt thoughts and prayers go out to the student’s family and school community. To lose a child so suddenly and tragically is extremely difficult, especially for family and friends. We will have counselors available for any student or staff member dealing with the news. Please know that OCPS is fully cooperating with the ongoing Florida Highway Patrol investigation but we ask that you keep the entire Lawton Chiles Elementary School community in your prayers as they grieve the loss of one of their own.”
Orange County Public Schools
A GoFundMe has been set up for the family of the boy HERE.
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