Update: The girl who was fatally struck by a school bus Thursday has been identified as 11-year-old Summer Lim.
An 11-year-old girl died Thursday after she was struck by a Montgomery County Public Schools bus near Earle B. Wood Middle School in Rockville, according to the Montgomery County Police Department.
Police and fire rescue personnel responded to Bauer Drive at Russett Road around 3:13 p.m. for a reported crash involving a bicyclist and an MCPS bus, according to police.
The girl was found near the rear of the bus. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
The girl was a student at Earle B. Wood Middle School, which was less than half a mile from the crash. Other students from the middle school were on the bus, according to police, and there were no reported injuries to those students or the bus driver. After the collision, the students were transferred to a different bus and taken to a reunification location.
The girl’s name will be released when available, said police, adding that it may take several weeks for the investigation to be completed.
In a letter to school families Thursday evening, Earle B. Wood Middle School Principal Heidi Slatcoff said, “I can’t tell you how heartbreaking this is for all of us here at Wood Middle. Our hearts are with the student’s family, friends, classmates, and everyone who knew and loved this child. No parent should ever lose a child, and no community is ever fully prepared for a loss like this.”
School counselors, psychologists, and support staff will be available throughout the day on Friday, according to Slatcoff.
In a statement, County Executive Marc Elrich said the crash “is every parent’s worst nightmare.”
“Our entire county is grieving tonight,” Elrich stated.
“We should also remember the other children who were on that bus and the trauma they experienced. They, too, need our collective compassion and care.” Elrich added that the county is ready to support MCPS with counseling and other mental health resources through the Department Health and Human Services.
Council member Andrew Friedson wrote on social media: “Praying for the family and everyone impacted by this unimaginable tragedy.”
