UPDATE: According to St. Tammany Parish Coroner Dr. Charles Preston, the child that was killed was 6-year-old, Emma Savoie. She was pronounced dead at Slidell Memorial Hospital shortly before 4 p.m.
SLIDELL, La. (WGNO) — A child is dead after police say she was struck by a car at school.
According to police, shortly before 3:30 p.m, they responded to Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School (345 Westchester Place) in reference to a 6-year-old child being struck by a vehicle in the school parking lot.
The preliminary investigation indicated that during dismissal time, a group of school children was attempting to cross a parking lot.
A school staff member, who was assigned to direct vehicle and pedestrian traffic in the parking lot, was controlling traffic at the time of the incident.
For reasons still under investigation, a child accidentally ran out into the path of a truck, resulting in fatal injuries.
The child was transported to Slidell Memorial Hospital, where she was later pronounced dead.
Investigators have no indication that the driver of the truck was speeding or driving in a careless manner.
The incident appears to be a tragic accident. The name of the child is being withheld, at this time, as the family is still processing this tragedy.
The loss of a child is unimaginable. My thoughts and prayers are with the family, the school, the first responders, and the entire Slidell community. This kind of tragedy affects us all.
Slidell Police Chief Randy Fandal