“This is one of the darkest days that you can have as a school employee.”
A 6-year-old girl was struck and killed by a truck as she waited for her school bus to arrive with her grandmother.
The incident occurred on Feb. 28 at approximately 6:30 a.m. in Lancaster County, South Carolina, when Beatrice Mayson was accompanying her 6-year old granddaughter Jerrnia Horne while they were both waiting for the school bus to pick Jerrnia up – a routine they did every day, according to ABC News’ Charlotte affiliate WSOC.
It was then that authorities say a 39-year-old woman driving a truck on Kershaw Camden Highway hit Jerrnia while she was holding her grandmother’s hand.
“We were on the sidewalk. Then, I saw the black truck coming,” Mayson told WSOC. “I tried calling her, ‘Jerrnia! Jerrnia!’ (but) I can’t hear no voice.”
Jerrnia, who attended Heath Springs Elementary School, reportedly waited at that exact location every morning with a parent or grandparent. Authorities are now investigating the circumstances around the accident and they have not said if the 39-year-old driver will face charges.
The victim was immediately rushed to Levine Children’s Hospital in Charlotte, North Carolina, but died later that same night.
“Everything we do as school officials is first and foremost to take care of children and when we see a child get hurt in the community for whatever reason, I think it everybody hurts,” School Safety Director Bryan Vaughn told WSOC. “This is one of the darkest days that you can have as a school employee.”
