First-day tragedy: Student, struck by mom's car in drop-off line, in critical condition

A Florida middle school student was in critical condition Tuesday after she was ran over while being dropped at a middle school in Sarasota on Monday, the first day of school, said Florida Highway Patrol.

“I honestly was just wiping tears,” Myra Moore, a mom who drove her kids to school when she witnessed the aftermath of the incident, told WFLA. “I said I cannot imagine what should be a happy day, a joyous day, just turned into tragedy so quickly.”

On Monday, at around 7:45 a.m., the student was struck by the SUV after getting out of the passenger side of the vehicle, according to the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, part of the USA TODAY Network. She dropped pens and markers, bent over to pick them up from under the vehicle, investigators said. Without knowing the child was under the car, the driver drove the vehicle forward, according to a Florida Highway Patrol statement emailed to USA TODAY.

The student is in critical condition and was airlifted to All Children's Hospital.

Mother runs over student, states reports

The driver, 30, is the mother of the victim, a 12-year-old middle school student, reports WFLA and ABC Action News.

The student went under the car after she dropped her things, her mom didn't realize she was there and drove forward.

The victim's mom, who reportedly drove a Lincoln Navigator SUV, stopped immediately stopped the car when "she heard her child screaming," FHP Trooper Kenn Watson explained told ABC Action News.

“Here we are, day one, and we’ve already had a tragedy," said Watson. "We’re hoping this does not happen again, but we have to remember to have that good spatial awareness when you are anywhere around a school zone and most certainly when you are letting your kid out of your vehicle.”

Contributing: Steven Walker, Sarasota Herald-Tribune

Julia is a trending reporter for USA TODAY. She has covered various topics, from local businesses and government in her hometown, Miami, to tech and pop culture. You can connect with her on LinkedIn or follow her on X, formerly Twitter, Instagram and TikTok: @juliamariegz