ORLANDO, Fla. – A Florida boy, 9, died on Tuesday after he crawled beneath a school bus and was run over when the driver put the bus in motion without knowing the child was there, according to officials.
The traffic fatality occurred late Tuesday afternoon at the Waterford East Apartments on Island Bay Drive in Orlando, according to the Florida Highway Patrol, FOX 35 Orlando reported.
The highway patrol said in its preliminary report that the bus was stationary when the child got off, but the boy ran back toward the vehicle and crawled underneath just as the bus operator began to drive away
Troopers said the bus driver was unaware the child was beneath the vehicle and subsequently ran over him.
The boy’s aunt said he ran back to the bus to retrieve a football, according to FOX 35.
“It is absolutely devastating for this family that is here, but also for our investigators that have to investigate this type of scene,” FHP spokesperson Lt. Tara Crescenzi said.
Investigating troopers interviewed at least one witness, reviewed surveillance video from the school bus and nearby apartment complex in addition to interviewing the 54-year-old bus driver, a man with more than a 10 years of experience, in order to determine the cause.
The lieutenant said the boy was the final student to be dropped off for the day.
The bus was later towed away to undergo a mechanical inspection, FOX News reported.
“It’s going to be extremely tragic for a long period of time and probably for the rest of their lives for what has happened here tonight,” Crescenzi noted.
The youngster attended Lawton Chiles Elementary School, according to Orange County Public Schools.
“We are deeply saddened to hear of the tragic death of one of our precious students who was involved in a bus accident late this afternoon. My heartfelt thoughts and prayers go out to the student’s family and school community,” Superintendent Dr. Maria Vazquez said in a statement. “To lose a child so suddenly and tragically is extremely difficult, especially for family and friends. We ask that you keep the entire Lawton Chiles Elementary School community in your prayers as they grieve the loss of one of their own.”
UPDATE: The 9-year-old boy was identified by family members as Elyas Marshall-Rodriguez. A candlelight vigil held outside the family’s apartment building Wednesday evening and attended by hundreds of mourners.
Marshal-Rodriguez was also identified as a cancer survivor. His cousin, Trenae Gayle, said the “compassionate” youngster had been in remission after being diagnosed with leukemia at the age of two, according to the Orlando Sentinel.
“He had already been through a lot in his life, so for this to happen is like a spine lodged in our hearts,” Gayle said.
Gayle said her cousin had a zest for life and was a joy to be around.
“He was one of those kids, you couldn’t come around him sad,” the cousin told the news outlet.
“He was going to pick you up. He was very protective of his brothers and sisters. He worshipped his mother — every morning, he woke her up. Made both of their coffees, sometimes hot chocolate,” she noted.
Elyas Marshall-Rodriguez, a 9-year-old childhood cancer survivor, was killed by a school bus Tuesday. (Courtesy Marshall-Rodriguez family)
His aunt said the boy was an avid youth football player and dreamed of one day playing in the NFL.
Marshall-Rodriguez is survived by his mother and two siblings, one of whom has autism and is legally blind, according to the description of a GoFundMe campaign, the New York Post reported.
