HAVERHILL, MASS. (WHDH) - A 12-year-old girl has died after a collision between two children on a motorized scooter and a school bus in Haverhill Thursday afternoon.
Haverhill police said they responded to the intersection of Portland Street and 5th Avenue just before 4 p.m. after a report of a collision involving a bus and two girls riding a motorized scooter. Both sustained serious injuries and were taken to a local hospital.
One of the girls later succumbed to her injuries, according to the Essex County District Attorney’s Office. She has not been identified at this time, but police said she was a student of Haverhill Public Schools.
Community members gathered at the site of the crash Friday, bringing flowers, candles, and balloons to honor the girl’s life.
“I feel upset, but I also know she’s in good hands, so she’s up there,” said Ave Leigh Gumbs, a friend of the victim’s. “She always had my back, like, whenever I was upset or something, or someone was picking on me.”
“It was just really heartbreaking to hear that this happened because it’s the neighborhood and it could’ve been any one of our children, you know? They all play together and they go to the park here,” said Chanel McClurkin, the mother of one of the victim’s friends.
The crash is now renewing the conversation in the community about the safety of electric scooters and bicycles on roads.
“We just have to pay attention more to the roads, you know, with the kids on these scooters and vice versa. These kids need to watch out for the vehicles,” said Jaccie Brown, who lives in the neighborhood.
“I hope that something gets done about it because there’s too many deaths,” said Barry Burns, who lives in the area.
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