OMAHA, Neb. — An 8-year-old student died after he was struck by his school bus here on Monday, police said.

The incident occurred around 4:50 p.m. in a residential area of Omaha. According to the Omaha Police Department, a Student Transportation of America school bus had dropped off students at a designated stop on Sprague Street, just east of 22nd Street.

The Omaha World-Herald reported that 16 students got off the bus, and six remained on board.

After the students disembarked, school bus driver Ashleigh Avant continued her route westbound on Sprague Street. Investigators found that as the bus was traveling between 22nd and 23rd, 8-year-old Haji Mohamed, who had just gotten off the bus at the stop, tried to run across Sprague Street from north to south.

According to the Omaha Police Department, as soon as Haji entered the roadway, he was struck by the school bus. The boy was transported to a hospital in extremely critical condition. Shortly after arriving at the hospital, he was pronounced dead.

The Omaha Police Department said that the incident remains under investigation.

KETV obtained surveillance footage from a resident in which Haji can be seen darting out into the street in front of the school bus.

According to the Omaha World-Herald, Haji’s family had fled war-torn Somalia and lived in a refugee camp in Kenya before coming to the U.S. The boy had eight siblings.

“He was a sweetheart,” Diana Styles, an English-as-a-second-language teacher, told the Omaha World-Herald.

About the author
Thomas McMahon

Thomas McMahon

Executive Editor

Thomas had covered the pupil transportation industry with School Bus Fleet since 2002. When he's not writing articles about yellow buses, he enjoys running long distances and making a joyful noise with his guitar.

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