A Florida mother left her daughter in critical condition after mistakenly driving over her on the first day of school.
The 12-year-old girl got out of the car near Booker Middle School in Sarasota around 7:54am on Monday when she was struck, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
She dropped her backpack and some of her school supplies had rolled under the Lincoln Navigator, so the youngster crawled under the SUV to retrieve her stuff.
Witnesses described a horrific scene with the child writhing in pain as she was crushed by the vehicle.
'She was just screaming, just in a panic, holding her head, holding her chest, crouching down, standing up, screaming again,' Myra Moore, who was driving her kids to school when she saw the scene, told WFLA.
A Florida mother ran over her 12-year-old daughter after she got out of the car near Booker Middle School in Sarasota
The student dropped her backpack and some of her school supplies had rolled under the Lincoln Navigator (pictured), so the youngster crawled under the SUV to retrieve her stuff
'I honestly was just wiping tears because I cannot imagine what should be a happy day, a joyous day, just turned into tragedy so quickly.'
Video shared on social media showed a crowd forming around the student as they waited for help and an employee trying to direct traffic around the scene.
Florida Highway Patrol Trooper Kenn Watson told WTFS that the mother immediately stopped when she heard her child screaming.
'This is an incident where it wasn't the speed of the vehicle that caused the injury, it was simply someone being in a rush and making an assumption and hopefully this child will be able to survive this incident,' he said.
'This is a tragedy that 100 percent could have been avoided by simply paying a little more attention.'
The student was airlifted to Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg and was listed in critical condition.
'Here we are, day one, and we've already had a tragedy,' Watson said. 'We're hoping this does not happen again, but we have to remember to have that good spatial orientation when you are anywhere around a school zone and most certainly when you are letting your kid out of your vehicle.'
Florida Highway Patrol Trooper Kenn Watson (pictured) said the mother immediately stopped when she heard her child screaming
The Booker Middle School (pictured) student was airlifted to Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg and was listed in critical condition
Booker Middle School principal Lashawn Frost sent a message to the community about the accident and reminded parents to follow the drop-off procedures.
'This serves as a reminder of the importance of following our established safety procedures,' Frost said.
'Please remember that students should not be dropped off in the middle of Myrtle Street. This practice poses a significant risk to our students' safety and the safety of others on the road.
'We kindly ask that all parents and guardians follow the designated drop-off procedures by using the parent loop. This ensures that students enter the school safely and helps us maintain a secure environment for everyone.'
