A Florida preteen was left in critical condition after her mother accidentally ran her over during drop-offs on the first day of the new school year, the state highway patrol said.
The incident happened Monday morning just outside Booker Middle School in Sarasota.
According to a police report obtained by the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, the 12-year-old girl stepped out of a Lincoln Navigator stopped in the right turn lane of Myrtle Street west of Newtown Boulevard, around 7:45 a.m. As the child exited from the passenger side, she dropped a bunch of school supplies, including markers, which rolled under the vehicle.
Police said she quickly dropped to the ground and crawled under the SUV to get her things, and that’s when tragedy struck. Unaware the girl was under the car, her mother drove the vehicle forward, running her over, police said.
“She immediately stopped when she heard her child screaming,” FHP Trooper Kenn Watson told WFTS.
The 12-year-old girl was airlifted to Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg in critical condition.
Superintendent Terry Connor said at a press conference Monday morning that the Sarasota County School District was aware of the incident.
“It’s just an important reminder of being vigilant, being aware of your surroundings, making sure you’re following all those protocols for safe parent drop-off,” he said. “Our thoughts and prayers are with that family.”
Authorities said incident remains under investigation.
