6-year-old boy and mother killed in school bus crash in Mamaroneck

Mamaroneck, New York – A young boy and his mother died after being hit by a school bus in Mamaroneck Thursday morning, police said.

It happened around 8:40 a.m. on Mamaroneck Avenue, about two blocks from Mamaroneck Avenue Elementary School, near the entrance to a busy shopping center with a grocery store and drug store.

The six-year-old boy died at the scene of the accident. His 43-year-old mother was taken to hospital but eventually succumbed to her injuries.

According to policeThe school bus carrying special needs students was on New Street and turned left onto Mamaroneck Avenue when it struck the two. No one on the bus was injured.

Mamaroneck Police Chief Sandra Diruzza said the victims were in the crosswalk and displayed the “walk” sign.

“Motorists must yield to pedestrians in the crosswalk. That’s how the intersection works. We are still investigating the incident and looking at video footage to see exactly what happened,” Diruzza said.

“There were dozens of children there. Every morning there was a huge crowd. Some were running around screaming,” said John Hunter, a Mamaroneck resident.

Hunter said he was on his way home from church when he saw the immediate aftermath, including paramedics tending to the mother and young victim lying in the street.

“You could see that it was a terrible and catastrophic accident,” Hunter said.

The 68-year-old bus driver remained at the scene, provided a blood sample and is cooperating fully, police said. They called the incident “a tragic accident” and said no charges have been filed so far.

Mamaroneck police and members of the district attorney’s office were on scene, as well as someone from Royal Coach Lines, the operator of the school bus.

The boy was a kindergarten student at the school.

“This morning there was a serious accident on Mamaroneck Avenue involving a child and an adult. The two were struck by a car on their way to school and were transported to a local hospital,” wrote Dr. Charles Sampson, superintendent of Mamaroneck schools, in a message to the school community.

The end of the school year is only a few days away.

“I am devastated. This is so sad. They have to do something. They have a crosswalk here, but no crossing guard. He is on the next block. I don’t know what happened, but I am deeply saddened. Very sad,” said Charlene Phillip.

“It’s horrible. School is almost over. There’s no reason why this should happen,” said Maryann Murphy. “It’s also a reminder to drivers: slow down. You’re in a school zone. There are signs everywhere.”

Mamaroneck schools previously released the following statement:

Dear Mamaroneck school community,

It is with deep sadness that we inform you that one of our kindergarten students at MAS and his mother were hit by a car on their way to school this morning. Tragically, the student did not survive the accident and the parent is being treated at a nearby hospital.

There is nothing worse for a community than the loss of a life, and we know this news is deeply distressing for everyone in the Mamaroneck and Larchmont communities. We also know that the death of a child is especially difficult for other children to process. We have already informed our staff of this incredible loss, and social workers and psychologists are fully deployed at MAS.

We are mobilizing our crisis support teams and working with the Larchmont Mamaroneck Community Counseling Center, the Bereavement Center of Westchester, the Mobile Crisis Team, our school psychologists, and our social workers at all schools. We are also working on logistics to provide a place for families to meet to receive support and build community. At this time, we have confirmed that we will be offering the community an opportunity to meet with psychologists tomorrow, Friday, June 21st, beginning at noon in the MAS building.

We ask that you work with us to respect the needs of the family and our community during this tragedy. Please do not come to MAS or any of our schools at this time. Schools will close today following their regular schedule. We will get back to you with more information as it becomes available.