An 8-year-old girl in Henry County was tragically killed after being hit by a car while trying to board her school bus, Georgia State Patrol confirmed. The incident occurred on a chilly Thursday morning, Feb 1st along a quiet stretch of Jackson Lake Road, sending shockwaves through the local community.
The girl who attended Rock Springs Elementary School was attempting to get on the bus when a Ford Fusion, driven by 25-year-old Kaylee Andre, passed the stopped bus with its red flashing lights and stop sign engaged and struck her, an error that had fatal consequences. Andre, held in the Henry County Jail, faces somber charges including first-degree vehicular homicide, failure to stop for a school bus loading and unloading, and due to her obstructed view, as FOX 5 reported, the charge of failure to exercise due care.
Airlifted to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston, the young victim succumbed to her life-threatening injuries, her identity still held from public knowledge out of respect and privacy for the grieving family. Neighbors told FOX 5 off record their devastation, hinting at the wider sorrow that a close-knit community suffers in such moments, when a routine morning shattered by a preventable tragedy.
Authorities, piecing together the events, noted how the unforgiving ice of winter played its part in the catastrophe, obscuring Andre's view as she, reportedly, had not sufficiently cleared her windshield of ice. Georgia State Patrol's Specialized Collision Reconstruction Team is finalizing their report on the details surrounding the incident, as they continue to assist with the investigation according to WSBTV.
Amidst the grief, the school community and parents have been vocal about their shock and empathy, "It’s crazy to think about something like that happening to a child when you have kids, well even if you don’t have kids, it’s very, very sad to hear about, but I can just imagine what those parents are going through," a tearful Lindsay Bridges, a parent, told WSBTV. The tragic loss highlights the paramount importance of vigilance and adherence to road safety rules, especially in school zones – a lesson that arrives too late for a life cut unfathomably short.
