PORT ORANGE, Fla. – A girl was struck and killed Friday morning by a vehicle that had just dropped off another student near Sugar Mill Elementary School in Port Orange, police said.
The fatal crash happened around 7:10 a.m. near the entrance to the school, which is located at 1101 Charles St. The child was in a crosswalk when they were hit.
Port Orange police said the student, identified by school officials as a fourth-grader, was taken to Daytona Halifax Medical Center, where she died.
The driver remained at the scene and is cooperating with the investigation, according to police.
Port Orange Chief of Police Manuel Marino said the driver was very distraught, and a victim advocate will likely have to speak to the driver.
Marino said they would be pulling data from the vehicle to see how fast it was going, and would also check if any homes in the area had video of the crash that can help with the investigation.
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Video from the scene shows a damaged bike on a road, with what appears to be a tow truck nearby.
“Grief counselors are at the school this morning helping our staff and students cope with this news. We ask that everyone please keep our school community in your thoughts and prayers,” Volusia County Schools said in a statement.
Volusia Sheriff Mike Chitwood posted on Facebook, saying it’s a “heartbreaking loss for a family that got the worst news imaginable.”
“My sincere condolences and prayers are with them and the Sugar Mill Elementary student body and staff,” Chitwood said. “Port Orange PD will conduct a thorough investigation to determine how this occurred, which will help identify any steps that could help prevent another tragedy in the future.”
He finished by asking for prayers for the girl’s grieving family.
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An investigation is ongoing.
The school year ends next week for Volusia County schools. Marino also said they would have more officers in the area through the end of the school year.
“We’ve looked at some of the data already,” Marino said. “We show three accidents dating back over the last 5 years (near the school). Two fortunately involved very minor injuries until todays. The previous one was in October 2022. That involved the other crosswalk, and you saw that the school took some preventative measures with that crosswalk as a result of that crash.”
Marino said now more than ever, people need to be vigilant on the roads.
“As we head into summer, obviously, our kids will be out there in the streets, going to our parks, going to summer camps,” Marino said. “And so it’s just a reminder, a tragic one, but for everyone to be vigilant and just use the utmost safety that they can when their operating roadways, when there potentially could be children.”
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