A Florida mother accidentally ran over her own 12-year-old daughter during drop-off on the first day of school on Monday, officials said.
Florida Highway Patrol Trooper Kenn Watson told ABC Action News that the incident happened at around 7:45 a.m. Monday, when the woman, who was not named, dropped her daughter off in the right turn lane in front of Booker Middle School in Sarasota.
The girl had dropped her backpack, and some items rolled under her mother's large Lincoln Navigator SUV. Unbeknownst to her mother, the girl crawled underneath the vehicle to retrieve the items. Her mother began to drive away, and "immediately stopped when she heard her child screaming," Watson told the outlet.
The girl was airlifted to Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg in critical condition.
"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," Watson said.
"You want to avoid being in a hurry and dropping off our kids in the turn lane when we should be directly in front of the school," he said. "This is a tragedy that one hundred percent could have been avoided by simply paying a little more attention and not being in a hurry."
In a note to parents, Booker Middle School Principal LaShawn Frost reminded parents to follow drop-off procedures to avoid accidents.
"This serves as a reminder of the importance of following our established safety procedures," Frost said. "Please remember that students should not be dropped off in the middle of Myrtle Street. This practice poses a significant risk to our students' safety and the safety of others on the road. We kindly ask that all parents and guardians follow the designated drop-off procedures by using the parent loop. This ensures that students enter the school safely and helps us maintain a secure environment for everyone."
--with reporting by TMX
