For 5th time in 3 days, kids hit at bus stop, police say

Seven people were rushed to the hospital Thursday after a car struck students at a school bus stop in Tampa, police said. It was at least the fifth time in three days that children were hurt or worse at a bus stop.

The other crashes occurred in Mississippi, Indiana and a second Florida city; in another Thursday incident, a second-grader was found dead on the side of the road by his house after being run over by a vehicle traveling at a slow speed.

In the Tampa crash, witnesses said a Ford Escort 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. Police later said it was unclear whether the driver was speeding.

Images from the scene show backpacks scattered on the shoulder.

Two adults and five children — two with serious injuries were taken to hospitals, Durkin said. One child is in critical condition. None of the injuries are considered life-threatening, he said. Three of the children are 6 years old, one in 9 and the eldest is 12.

The 47-year-old man who was driving and who stayed at the scene has not been charged, officials said.

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.

A fire truck responding to the scene crashed en route, and two first responders were taken to a hospital, a Tampa Fire Rescue representative told WFLA.

In central Pennsylvania, authorities reported that a 7-year-old Franklin Township boy Thursday morning was found dead at a bus stop.

At first, authorities thought a passing vehicle might have hit him and the driver fled, but later they said they had ruled that out.

“Evidence has shown that the child was run over at a slow speed,” the state patrol said on Troop G’s twitter feed. “A search warrant was obtained for a vehicle that was in the area at the time. The driver has been interviewed.”

“The bus driver on route arrived at the stop discovering the situation, contacted 911 and remained at the scene until first responders arrived,” Tyrone Area School District Superintendent Cathy Harlow