Student fatally struck by bus

The accident happened at 3pm when an Aldine ISD school bus dropped students off in the 2900 block of Shady Lane. Those students typically head westbound along Castledale. Instead, one student, a 15-year-old Hispanic girl, got off the bus and immediately turned and crossed the street in the path of the school bus.

"We know for a fact that after the students got off the bus, the bus driver then closed the door, placed the bus in drive and then continued south on Shady Lane," explained Lt. D.A. Coleman from the Harris County Sheriff's office. "At which time, witnesses state that they saw the young girl try to hold on to the front of the bus for a few feet and after some time she couldn't hold on anymore. She let go of the bus and then she was dragged up under the bus."

The girl, a freshman from MacArthur High School, was pronounced dead at the scene. Officials say they aren't sure why the driver couldn't see the girl.

"We don't know right now," said Lt. Coleman. "We're looking at driver's height, driver's seat position, height of the bus."

"But then when we looked back, it was her. We told (the driver), 'Hey, you ran over a girl,'" recalled witness Heidi Diaz. "She wouldn't stop until she saw people running. She finally stopped and got off and we got off and I called an ambulance. (The victim) was lying there."

Sheriff's department investigators say it doesn't appear the driver was impaired, but toxicology tests will be performed as is standard procedure. Investigators want to question as many as 50 students who may have been on the bus at the time of the accident.