An 11-year-old sixth grader riding his bicycle behind a school bus in North Stonington was killed Wednesday morning when the bus made a left turn and he crashed into its left front tire, according to state police. The boy, identified as Torren O'Grady, was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash at the intersection of Old Colony Road and Pinecrest Road. The bus driver was not injured.
According to the Hartford Courant, Connecticut State Police received a crash report around 8:27 a.m. after the bus, traveling eastbound on Old Colony Road, proceeded to make a left turn into the northbound lane of Pinecrest Road while O'Grady rode his bicycle behind it. State police records relayed by CTPOLICELIVE identify the vehicle as a 2023 Blue Bird school bus operated by contractor M & J Bus Inc. and note that O'Grady was riding a Hyper Shocker 24 bicycle. The bus was driven by a 76-year-old man from Pawcatuck, per the Courant's reporting.
Emergency responders and state troopers converged on the residential area near Kingwood Drive, Meadow Park and Pinecrest Road, a neighborhood that serves as a primary corridor for morning school traffic, as detailed in footage shared to YouTube. O'Grady, according to state police, was run over by the bus and sustained fatal injuries. No criminal charges were immediately filed following initial on-scene evidence collection, and all parties involved cooperated with investigators.
Sixth Grader Remembered by School and Community
North Stonington Public Schools confirmed that O'Grady was a sixth-grade student at North Stonington Elementary School, which educates children from pre-kindergarten through sixth grade — making sixth graders the oldest cohort on the elementary campus before students move on to middle school. The district released students early on Wednesday and said in a statement that its heart is with the O'Grady family, adding that it is committed to transparent, timely and safe communication with families throughout the investigation.
Superintendent Dr. Jeanine Rose said the community experienced a significant loss that morning and extended her condolences to the school community. The district said counselors and emotional support dogs will be on site at North Stonington Elementary School in the upcoming days, and that ongoing support will remain available as the school works with Connecticut State Police, including the North Stonington resident trooper's office, during the investigation. Officials said supporting students, families, staff and the entire community will remain a priority.
Outside the classroom, O'Grady was known in the community as an active young runner. Official results from the Westerly Track & Athletic Club show he competed in the 2023 and 2024 Nick Bottone 1-Mile road races, an annual community event held in the Westerly and North Stonington border area.
State Leaders Respond, Urge Caution Around School Buses
Gov. Ned Lamont released a statement offering support and expressing sympathy to O'Grady's family, friends, classmates, teachers and the North Stonington community. Lamont said the Connecticut State Police and the state Department of Education are ready to support North Stonington schools and students, and he asked Connecticut drivers to take extra care around school buses, school zones, bicyclists and children traveling to and from school, advising drivers to slow down to help keep students safe.
State Rep. Greg Howard, who represents the 43rd District covering North Stonington, said he had been in touch with local emergency services and law enforcement and had communicated with the state Department of Education. Howard said all state resources are being made available to North Stonington and offered his thoughts and prayers to those affected.
Legal Framework and What Happens Next
Under Connecticut General Statutes § 14-286a, bicyclists riding on public roadways are granted all the rights and subject to all the duties applicable to drivers of motor vehicles, including obeying traffic control signals, yielding right-of-way, and traveling with the flow of traffic, according to the Town of Wethersfield. Separately, state law under CGS § 14-286d requires all child bicyclists under 16 to wear protective headgear while riding on public roads and paths, per the Mills & Cahill Law Firm.
Investigators with the Connecticut State Police collision analysis unit are still working to reconstruct the sequence of events at the intersection. The Connecticut Transportation Safety Research Center at the University of Connecticut, which centralizes crash data in the Connecticut Crash Data Repository, notes that fatal crash reconstruction reports typically take three to six months to complete. Witnesses who saw the collision or have video footage are asked to contact Trooper Christopher Brett at 860-848-6500.
M & J Bus Inc., which operates a local terminal on Norwich Westerly Road in North Stonington and is headquartered in Old Saybrook, has provided student transportation services in Connecticut since 1995, serving North Stonington Public Schools along with more than 20 other districts statewide. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data shows fatal collisions between bicyclists and school buses remain rare nationally, with five pedalcyclist deaths recorded among 206 school-age transportation-related fatalities between 2012 and 2021.
