An 11-year-old girl was fatally struck by a school bus on Thursday afternoon while crossing the street at Bath Beach in Brooklyn, New York.
The accident occurred around 3 p.m. at the intersection of Bath Avenue and 23rd Avenue. According to the initial investigation by the New York City Police Department’s Highway Collision Investigation Squad, a 2018 Blue Bird school bus driven by a 62-year-old man was traveling south on 23rd Avenue when it made a right turn onto eastbound Bath Avenue, hitting the 11-year-old girl who was crossing the street within the marked crosswalk.
The victim was later identified as Amira Aminova, who resided in Bensonhurst. Authorities stated that the girl was walking from the south side of the intersection to the north side along the marked crosswalk, legally exercising her right of way. The impact resulted in severe head and body injuries, and she was pronounced dead after being taken to the hospital.
The driver involved in the incident, 62-year-old Wawa Aurelus, did not remain at the scene after the collision. Instead, he drove away but was apprehended by police a few hours later several miles away. He was charged with offenses including failure to yield to pedestrians and failure to exercise due care while driving. Authorities mentioned that there are no immediate criminal charges, but the case is still under further investigation.
Surveillance footage showed the girl sprinting on the crosswalk, attempting to avoid the school bus making a right turn onto Bath Avenue but ultimately getting hit. The incident, which occurred during school dismissal time, shocked many parents as the intersection is frequented by pedestrians, students, and families.
State Senator Chen Xueli rushed to the scene immediately and expressed his heartbreak over the incident on social media, urging drivers to slow down and pedestrians to be more vigilant. He emphasized that the road conditions were dry with clear visibility at the time of the accident, indicating that snow was not a contributing factor. Furthermore, just three weeks prior, a 14-year-old boy died in a skateboard accident near the same intersection, raising concerns about traffic safety.
Following the incident, the related surveillance video quickly circulated in various WeChat groups, sparking shock and discussions among many parents. Some parents criticized school bus drivers for their reckless behavior, while others described the video as “chilling,” pointing out that the bus driver was turning at excessive speed without paying attention to pedestrians. The failure to stop immediately after hitting the girl and instead continuing to drive was deemed unbelievable, placing full responsibility on the driver. The tragic death of the 11-year-old girl serves as a stark reminder for pedestrians to exercise extra caution when crossing the street – “better to wait for three minutes than to rush for that one second.”