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A Maine first grader was fatally hit by a school bus after going out for a bicycle ride.
The 6-year-old boy was riding near his school in southwest Maine on Wednesday when he fell off the sidewalk and onto a road where a school bus fatally struck him, authorities said.
Police said the accident happened at around 3 p.m near an intersection in Rumford, which is about 80 miles north of Portland.
“[He] came off from the sidewalk into the intersection and attempted to brake and he and the bicycle fell into the road,” the Rumford Police Department said in a statement. “The child was struck by the rear tire of the bus. The child’s mother was immediately on the scene.”
Officers said four students were on the bus at the time of the crash, but there were no injuries reported.
Police have not confirmed the child’s identity.
His school, Rumford Elementary, also mourned his death in a Facebook post on Wednesday evening.
“RES families, it is with great sadness that let you know that one of our students passed away this afternoon after an accident,” the school said in a statement. “We know that the days ahead will be difficult for our entire community.”
The school canceled its Family Fun Night that was scheduled for Thursday and said its “staff will work to support kiddos in the days ahead.”
Police said the crash is still under investigation.
