A driver was in custody and at least five people were rushed to the hospital Thursday after a vehicle struck students at a school bus stop in Tampa, police said.
It was the third time in as many days that children were hurt or worse at a bus stop. The previous incidents occurred in Mississippi and Indiana.
In the Florida city Thursday, witnesses said a vehicle driving at a high rate of speed in a residential area hit several pedestrians on the side of the street, Tampa police spokesman Eddy Durkin said.
Images from the scene show backpacks scattered on the shoulder. The car involved appeared to be a silver sedan.
Two adults and three juveniles were taken to local hospitals with serious injuries, Durkin said. One juvenile is in critical condition.
The students attended a combined elementary/middle school about 16 or 17 blocks — a five-minute ride — from the bus stop, fire officials told CNN affiliate WFLA.
The driver remained at the scene, police Chief Brian Dugan told the station. The children at the bus stop were between the ages of 6 and 12, Dugan estimated.
A fire truck responding to the scene crashed en route, injuring two first responders who were taken to the hospital, a Tampa Fire Rescue representative told WFLA.
It’s not clear if the adults that Durkin mentioned are the first responders.
The crash comes two days after a driver killed a 9-year-old girl and her two brothers who were crossing the street to catch a school bus in rural Indiana.
Alivia Stahl tried to shield her younger brothers when they were struck, her uncle told CNN affiliate WRTV in Indianapolis. Another student was airlifted to a hospital in Fort Wayne.
A woman was arrested and charged with three counts of felony reckless homicide in connection with the deaths. She was released on $15,000 bail.
Thursday’s crash also comes a day after a 22-year-old Marietta, Mississippi, man was charged with aggravated assault after fatally striking a child on a state road north of Tupelo, Mississippi Highway Patrol Capt. Johnny Poulos said.
The man, who was driving a pickup truck, hit a 9-year-old as the youngster crossed the road to get onto a school bus, police said. His bail was set at $10,000.
