Vehicle Hits 3 Children at School Stop in Tampa, One Critical

Police in Tampa, Florida, said a vehicle hit several children who were waiting for their school bus on Nov. 1.

WFLA-TV reported that the driver of the car remained at the scene after hitting the children. The unnamed man is being detained by police, but his name hasn’t yet been released to the media.

In all, three children and two adults were hit by the vehicle.

Tampa Police Chief Brian Dugan said that he estimates that the children are between the ages of 6 and 12. One child is in critical condition, a spokesperson told WFLA.

The crash took place at 8:10 a.m. at Marvy and Bougainvillea Avenues.

“There are a lot of moving parts. We are piecing everything together,” Dugan said, adding that investigators are trying to figure out exactly what happened.

“Hours ago, they were trick or treating. Now, they’re at the hospital,” he said of the children.

The driver, according to WPTV, apparently lost control of the vehicle and hit the children and two adults. Police said it isn’t clear if he intentionally hit them.

The children attended Woodson K-8 School on North 22nd Street, he said. According to Newsweek, an ambulance was also involved in the crash.

It’s not clear if charges have yet been filed, local reports say.

Fox 13 Reporter Jennifer Epstein described the scene of the crash on Twitter, saying there were kids’ “backpacks and shoes strewn all over the road.”

Update on Crash in Indiana

Several days ago in Indiana, a similar scene unfolded (see top video) when three children from the same family in Indiana were killed by a car while waiting at a bus stop. The driver, Alyssa Shepherd, was charged with reckless homicide.

Xzavier Ingle, 6, Mason Ingle, 6, and Alivia Stahl, 9, all siblings, died after being hit. A fourth child, 11-year-old Maverik Lowe, was flown to a hospital to undergo emergency surgery, the Indiana State Police confirmed.

Police officers say Shepherd ignored the bus’s lights and stop sign, trying to speed past it. She then slammed into the children.

The woman was arrested at her workplace on Oct. 30.