A 15-year-old Florida student who was riding his bicycle to school was hit and killed by a school bus Tuesday, police said.
The deadly crash happened just before 7 a.m. near the intersection of West Pipkin Road and Medulla Road in Lakeland. Investigators believe a Schools of McKeel Academy bus was traveling west on West Pipkin Road approaching Medulla Road when, at the same time, the bicyclist was attempting to make a left turn northbound onto Medulla Road from the eastbound left turn lane when he was hit by the bus.
The student crossed into the path of the school bus, police said in a press release. The boy, identified by the family as Jaxon Crabtree, according to FOX 13 Tampa Bay, was reported as unresponsive when authorities arrived at the scene. First responders tried to save him before he was taken to a hospital, where he died.
Crabtree attended Central Florida Aerospace Academy. A vigil was held for him Tuesday night, with his mother and father in attendance.
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"I’ve seen him grow so much as a person and a friend, so it's really hard saying goodbye," Carter Catalano, a friend of Crabtree, said. "It's horrible to see something happen like this. He bikes home every day I see him. It’s so devastating. This community will be completely in shambles."
Eight passengers between the ages of 8 and 11 who attended the South McKeel Academy and McKeel Academy Central were on the bus at the time of the crash. They and the 71-year-old bus driver were not injured.
Lakeland Police Chief Sam Taylor told the media on Tuesday afternoon it did not appear the driver was speeding, and that she was "extremely upset" following the incident.
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Polk County Public Schools Superintendent Frederick Heid said in a statement that the district has been in touch with Crabtree's family, and has made counselors available for students and staff at the school he attended.
"We urge everyone in our community — all motorists and students — to take extra caution around schools and help save lives," the statement to FOX 13 reads.
In October, 17-year-old Sherman Vannoy was struck and killed by a school bus as he rode his bicycle near the entrance of Lake Minneola High School in Clermont, Florida.
