A six year old girl was struck and killed by an SUV at a Green Elementary School bus stop in Raleigh, North Carolina (NC) this week.
Ashley E. Ramos-Hernandez, the student at Green Elementary School, was exiting the bus at a stop by North Hills Drive and Hillock Drive in Raleigh, North Carolina (NC) when Geraldine Baron Deitz, 83 hit the child with her SUV.
Geraldine Baron Deitz initially told the Raliegh Police Department that she had stopped behind the school bus, but continued driving after the bus failed to turn on its warning lights and side stop sign. However, witness at the scene of the car accident reported that the school bus did have on the required signals for stopping at a bus stop.
Thomas Ernest Waters was driving in a vehicle behind the SUV at the time of the accident. He told reporters that Deitz slowed, but did not come to a full stop before passing the bus and hitting the child. Waters got out of his vehicle and attempted to help Ashley before she was rushed to a local hospital. Tragically, Ashley died as a result of her injuries.
Thomas Earnest Waters described the accident best when he told reporters "It’s beyond tragic." The sudden death of Ashley E. Ramos-Hernandez could have been avoided if Deitz had exercised more caution around the school bus.
If you are driving with a school bus on the roadway remember that stopping 100 yards behind a school bus when the bus has the warning lights on is federal law. Failure to stop could result in a traffic citation or the worst case scenario of a car accident. If the school bus has stopped, but does not have the warning lights on, it is still a good idea to stop behind the bus until you are certain no children are entering or exiting the school bus.
Shapiro, Cooper Lewis & Appleton personal injury law firm is based in Virginia (VA), with an office also in Elizabeth City, in Northeast North Carolina (NC), practicing primarily in the southeastern U.S. and handles only injury law, including car, truck, railroad, and medical negligence cases and more. Our Carolina injury law website is: http://carolina.hsinjurylaw.com, the firm edits the injury law blogs Virginia Beach Injuryboard, Norfolk Injuryboard, as well as the Northeast North Carolina Injuryboard and also hosts a YouTube injury law video library covering many FAQ’s on personal injury subjects. Lawyers licensed in: VA, NC, SC, WV, DC, KY.
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