Kindergarten student struck, killed by school bus while walking to school with mother

MAMARONECK, N.Y. -- A kindergarten student and his mother were struck and killed by a school bus on Thursday while walking to school in suburban New York, authorities said.

The crash happened just after 8:30 a.m. in the village of Mamaroneck in Westchester County.

The 6-year-old boy and his 43-year-old mother were walking about half a block from Mamaroneck Avenue Elementary School when they were hit by a yellow minibus carrying several students and an aide.

Police say a group of parents and students were crossing the street at the crosswalk with the walk sign on as the bus was turning left on Mamaroneck Avenue with a green light.

The child was killed, and the mother was taken to a hospital for treatment, where she succumbed to her injuries, according to police.

Investigators said the bus driver, identified by police only a 68-year-old from Mt. Vernon, is not facing charges at this time as the incident appears to be a “tragic accident.”

Police have also not identified the victims other than to say they are Mamaroneck residents.

Officials with the Mamaroneck Union Free School District said counseling would be available at the school on Friday.

“There is nothing more difficult for a community to experience than the loss of life, and we know that everyone in the Mamaroneck and Larchmont communities is heartbroken by this news,” the school district officials said in a statement.

The Journal News reports that a Royal Coach Lines minibus was parked at the crash site about half a block from the school with a yellow backpack about 20 feet (6 meters) behind it. The bus was later towed, and the backpack was removed and put in a police vehicle.

Royal Coach Lines, a regional school bus contractor, has not responded to an email seeking comment on the crash.