11-Year-Old Dies in School Bus Crash in Aspen Hill

Incident Information

ASPEN HILL, Md. — An 11-year-old girl was struck and killed by a school bus Thursday afternoon at the intersection of Bauer Drive and Russet Road.

Montgomery County police were called to the scene at 3:12 p.m. When officers arrived, they found the child had been fatally struck by a school bus near Russett Green East and Bauer Drive. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities have not yet released her identity.

According to police, both the student and the bus had come from Earle B. Wood Middle School. Several students were on board at the time of the crash, and some are believed to have witnessed the incident and called 911. No passengers on the bus were injured.

“This is heartbreaking news for our school system and for our community,” said Dr. Thomas Taylor, superintendent of Montgomery County Public Schools. “No words can truly capture the pain that our school community is feeling at this time. This is every parent’s worst nightmare and every educator’s greatest fear.”

Taylor said students who witnessed the crash are receiving counseling and support services.

The Montgomery County Police Department’s Collision Reconstruction Unit is investigating. Authorities are working to determine how the incident occurred, including the direction of travel of both the bus and the child, and whether she was walking, riding a bicycle, or in a crosswalk at the time.

“It’s going to take some time to determine which direction the bus was headed and which direction the young lady was headed,” a police spokesperson said.

No charges will be considered until the investigation is complete, which officials estimate could take several weeks to a few months.

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