The Montgomery County, Maryland, fourth-grader who was struck by a driver trying to pass a stopped school bus has a broken clavicle and pelvis, as well as bruises, a school system spokesman said.
Her injuries are not life-threatening. The girl, who was on the crosswalk after getting off the bus, was struck Tuesday afternoon on the 18600 block of Walkers Choice Road in Montgomery Village.
The bus had been stopped there to drop off students, and the red stop lights on the bus were activated.
“There are yellow lights as the bus begins to stop, red lights when it is stopped. A large arm in front of the bus extends, as well as two stop signs extend from the side of the bus (those two stops signs also flash),” the schools spokesman said.
The school system said it provided mental health and wellness resources to students and staff, including counselors, psychologists and therapy dogs after the crash. It also started a series of messages about the rules involving stopped buses.
Police said the driver of the vehicle remained at the scene.
According to Maryland law, it is illegal to pass a school bus from either direction when its lights are activated and it has a stop sign displayed. Drivers don’t have to stop if they’re driving in the opposite direction of the bus on a roadway that is divided by a physical barrier or median strip.
WTOP’s Joshua Barlow and Kate Ryan contributed to this report.
