NEED TO KNOW
- A Miami student was hit by a fire truck while crossing the street to get to school, authorities said
- The fire truck was transporting a patient to a hospital when it struck an 11-year-old girl
- “The driver was inconsolable,” a witness said in an on-camera news interview at the scene
A young girl was hit by a City of Miami Fire Rescue truck while crossing the street and heading to school, according to local news stations.
The 11-year-old was walking near SLAM Miami charter school when she was struck on the morning of Friday, Oct. 24, WPLG 10 reported.
At the time of the incident, around 8 a.m. local time, the Miami Fire Rescue (MFR) truck was driving south in a northbound lane while taking a patient to Jackson Memorial Hospital, MFR Lt. Pete Sanchez said, per the news station.
Officer Mike Vega of the Miami Police Department noted to WLPG 10 that the MFR truck was “allowed” to drive “into the opposite traffic” because traffic was backed up and the patient needed to get to the hospital as soon as possible.
As the truck went “into the opposite traffic” lane, the girl went “between two rows of stopped vehicles — without looking to her left” and “just crossed,” Vega continued. “I guess she realized what she had done and tried to back up, but by that time, it was too late.”
The truck’s lights and sirens were on when the 11-year-old “unexpectedly stepped out between standstill traffic,” Sanchez said. The MFR truck tried to “avoid the child” and “made an evasive maneuver,” but struck her.
“Crews immediately stopped, began assessing the child, and rendered medical aid on scene,” Sanchez told the outlet in an email. The patient who was being taken to the hospital was placed in another rescue vehicle, which continued the route.
“The little girl came out of nowhere,” a mother named Hellen, who was dropping her daughter off at school at the time of the incident, told the news station in an on-camera interview.
“Her shoes — they just flew off when she was struck. She ended up on this mark, she didn’t move,” the witness added. “At the moment, it took time to react … we thought she was gone.”
Rita Newa, a former nurse who also saw the situation unfold, told the outlet that “the driver was insolable. He broke down, he tried everything.” She added that she hopes the child “pulls through.”
“They were in emergency mode, which is lights and sirens, because they were taking a patient to the hospital,” Sanchez said of the fire rescue truck, WSVN 7 reported.
No crossing guards were present because school had already begun for the day, the outlet added.
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In a statement to NBC Miami, SLAM Miami said: “Earlier this morning, a SLAM Miami student was involved in an accident while crossing the street near the school. The student was struck by a City of Miami ambulance. Emergency medical personnel responded immediately, and the student was transported to the hospital to receive medical care. Our thoughts are with the student and their family during this difficult time. The school is in contact with the family and offering support. At this point, we are focused on the student’s well-being and are unable to share additional details.”
The child was transported to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center. Her condition has not been made public.
PEOPLE reached out to MFR, the Miami Police Department and SLAM Miami for comment.
