A North Carolina girl was waiting for a school bus on May 13 when she was hit by a Jeep, killing her.
Ayanna Ja’Nae Jimenez Crump was on the side of the road in Franklinville in Randolph County shortly before 9 a.m. when she stepped into the road and was hit by a 2014 Jeep Wrangler, the state’s Highway Patrol told WXII.
The driver of the Jeep was unable to avoid Ayanna and slammed into her.
The girl was pronounced dead by emergency responders.
8-year-old Ayanna Ja’Nae Jiminez Crump was hit and killed at her school bus stop Monday morning. Her sibling who was beside her was unharmed, NCSHP says. https://t.co/6HdE11ZYNZ
— WFMY News 2 (@WFMY) May 13, 2019
Randolph County girl hit, killed by Jeep while waiting for school bus https://t.co/FxgSIIC5qK pic.twitter.com/2YwDQobi4A
— FOX8 WGHP (@myfox8) May 13, 2019
It wasn’t clear why the girl left the side of the road. “Troopers are unsure why the child ran into the roadway,” reported Spectrum News.
According to Fox 8, the school bus was close to the girl, who was a third-grader, before she was hit.
Ayanna’s siblings were at the bus stop with her before the accident, according to WFMY.
The highway patrol did not charge the driver, who was named as Heather May Stewart, 33, of Franklinville.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (pdf), there were 1,172 school-transportation-related fatal motor vehicle crashes between 2006 and 2015. During that time, an average of 131 fatalities per year was attributed to those crashes.
Officials investigating the accidents urged drivers to pay more attention, especially during the morning and evening rush hours, as did people related to the children hit and those who live nearby.
Fatal Car Crash Statistics
The Department of Transportation said in October 2018 that there were 37,133 deaths from motor vehicle crashes in 2017, a decrease of almost 2 percent from 2016. In comparison, there was an increase of about 6.5 percent from 2015 to 2016 and an increase of about 8 percent from 2014 to 2015. Pedestrian fatalities also declined by about 2 percent. While deaths in both categories declined, officials said more can be done.
“Dangerous actions such as speeding, distracted driving, and driving under the influence are still putting many Americans, their families and those they share the road with at risk,” said National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Deputy Administrator Heidi King in a statement.
“Additionally, we must address the emerging trend of drug-impaired driving to ensure we are reducing traffic fatalities and keeping our roadways safe for the traveling public.”
The deaths occurred over 34,247 motor vehicle crashes, resulting in 11.4 deaths per 100,000 people and 1.1 deaths per 100 million miles traveled. The highest fatality rate was in Mississippi, with 23.1 deaths per 100,000 people, and the highest death rate per 100 million miles was in South Carolina, with 1.8 deaths, according to an analysis of Department of Transportation data by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
A preliminary estimate of the first half of 2018 (pdf) showed that an estimated 17,120 people died in car crashes from January through June, which would be a decrease of about 3 percent from the previous year. The statistics indicate the fifth consecutive quarter in which traffic fatalities declined.
