An 11-year-old girl was struck by a City of Miami fire rescue truck outside her school Friday morning, according to officials.
It happened just before 8 a.m. as the fire rescue unit was going northbound on Northwest 12th Avenue, taking a patient to the hospital, Public Information Officer Lt. Pete Sanchez said.
Sanchez said the vehicle’s lights and sirens were on, when “an 11-year-old female stepped between standstill traffic, and the rescue tried to evade her and unfortunately struck her.”
Paramedics “immediately” called for back up and started rendering aid, Sanchez said.
The girl, who school officials confirmed is a student at nearby SLAM Miami charter school, was rushed to Ryder Trauma Center.
“Last we heard, she was in serious but stable condition,” Sanchez said.
Meanwhile, the patient in the ambulance was transferred to a different ambulance and taken to the hospital.
Due to the crash, Miami Police said they temporarily closed Northwest 12th Avenue between Northwest 4th and 7th streets. There are other schools in the area.
A blocked crosswalk and an ambulance on an emergency call
According to the Miami Police Department’s Public Information Officer Mike Vega, “this young girl was crossing between two vehicles because the pedestrian crosswalk was blocked by vehicles.”
Additionally, the ambulance had been going against traffic in the southbound lanes because the northbound lanes were blocked. Authorities said they were still investigating how fast the unit was going.
“The young girl goes between two rows of stopped vehicles and without looking to her left, just crossed. I guess she realized what she had done and tried to back up, but by then it was too late,” Vega said.
The girl was about four feet away from the crosswalk when she was hit by the right front side of the ambulance.
“This is just a reminder to pedestrians that once you hear those sirens, lights, stop, see where they’re coming from… and for those that are driving to not block pedestrian crosswalks,” Vega said. “In this case, it might’ve been a different scenario if that pedestrian crosswalk was not blocked by those vehicles that were stopped right on top.”
Miami Fire Rescue said they were cooperating with police, and that the driver of the ambulance was “extremely shaken up by the situation.”
“We are hoping that this young lady makes a full recovery,” Sanchez said.
In a statement, SLAM Miami said: “Earlier this morning, a SLAM Miami student was involved in an accident while crossing the street near the school. The student was struck by a City of Miami ambulance. Emergency medical personnel responded immediately, and the student was transported to the hospital to receive medical care. Our thoughts are with the student and their family during this difficult time. The school is in contact with the family and offering support. At this point, we are focused on the student’s well-being and are unable to share additional details.”
Future safety measures
Vega answered questions about crossing guards at the scene, saying the bell had already rung.
“That means that the school crossing guards, the help that is always here, had already gone inside,” he said. “We’re working with the school… to establish what we can do to prevent this from happening in the future.”
Vega also said they were considering traffic lights at the intersection to “help the students that are going to the school.”
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