WHIOTV.com (Ohio, USA)
LIBERTY TOWNSHIP, Ohio -- A Butler County family is mourning the death of their teenage daughter after she was killed in an early morning school bus crash.
Sodany "April" Phann of the 4800 block of Long Drive in the Elk Run subdivision was crossing the street around 6:30 a.m. en route to her bus stop a few hundred yards away when she was struck, family members said.The 15-year-old Liberty Township girl died in the street outside her home.
Investigators are still trying to figure out what happened. They do know that she was struck by the bus around 6:30 a.m. as the driver was picking up a neighbor for school.
Police said it was still dark and raining at the time.
Her family is still in shock. A cousin, Sodavy Phann said, ""She was always there to talk to. It's sad to wake up to something like this."
Cousin David Phann said, "She was a self-motivated person who made others better."
Her family came here from war-torn Cambodia looking for a better life. Her mother said she got the call this morning at work just minutes after the accident.
Neighbors set up a memorial to April near the sidewalk. Her family said she loved animals and wanted to be a veterinarian.
The driver of the special needs school bus, owned by Petermann Bus Co., has been driving the same route all year, Keith Harms, safety director for Petermann said. The employee has been with Petermann for 23 years and has a “spotless” record, he said.
“Obviously this is something that is very horrible. Our support goes out to the families and the students,” Harms said.
“Safety is the thing we train for. It’s everything that we do.
Drivers train year-round and there are rules posted on buses to alert students to stay on curbs until the bus comes to a complete stop. There was no indication the student had stepped off a curb, but the student was found laying in the street, officials said.
The bus had only one other student on it at the time, according Laura Kursman, spokeswoman for Lakota School District. Shortly after the incident, the bus was deployed with another driver to continue picking up students.
Grief counselors were on hand Monday at Lakota East and in several of the schools, Kursman said.
Funeral arrangements are still being made. Her mother wants to hold a service on Thursday because it would have been the girl's 16th birthday.
Sodany "April" Phann of the 4800 block of Long Drive in the Elk Run subdivision was crossing the street around 6:30 a.m. en route to her bus stop a few hundred yards away when she was struck, family members said.The 15-year-old Liberty Township girl died in the street outside her home.
Investigators are still trying to figure out what happened. They do know that she was struck by the bus around 6:30 a.m. as the driver was picking up a neighbor for school.
Police said it was still dark and raining at the time.
Her family is still in shock. A cousin, Sodavy Phann said, ""She was always there to talk to. It's sad to wake up to something like this."
Cousin David Phann said, "She was a self-motivated person who made others better."
Her family came here from war-torn Cambodia looking for a better life. Her mother said she got the call this morning at work just minutes after the accident.
Neighbors set up a memorial to April near the sidewalk. Her family said she loved animals and wanted to be a veterinarian.
The driver of the special needs school bus, owned by Petermann Bus Co., has been driving the same route all year, Keith Harms, safety director for Petermann said. The employee has been with Petermann for 23 years and has a “spotless” record, he said.
“Obviously this is something that is very horrible. Our support goes out to the families and the students,” Harms said.
“Safety is the thing we train for. It’s everything that we do.
Drivers train year-round and there are rules posted on buses to alert students to stay on curbs until the bus comes to a complete stop. There was no indication the student had stepped off a curb, but the student was found laying in the street, officials said.
The bus had only one other student on it at the time, according Laura Kursman, spokeswoman for Lakota School District. Shortly after the incident, the bus was deployed with another driver to continue picking up students.
Grief counselors were on hand Monday at Lakota East and in several of the schools, Kursman said.
Funeral arrangements are still being made. Her mother wants to hold a service on Thursday because it would have been the girl's 16th birthday.
1 comment:
Police and authority must look into this case very closely..! because alot of hatred toward cambodian immigrants in America!!..Khmers people came here because US's policy that screwed up our country...
Post a Comment