An 18 month old child was killed and six other people were hurt when an SUV plowed through a school bus stop in Rockingham County Friday morning. State troopers say a teenager was behind the wheel of the SUV.
Here is the complete news release from Virginia State Police:
ROCKINGHAM COUNTY, Va. - An 18 month old child was killed Friday morning (Aug 31) in a single vehicle and pedestrian crash in the Belmont subdivision which is located just west of the City of Harrisonburg in Rockingham County. At 8:00 a.m., Virginia State Police Trooper I. S. Sargent was called to the scene which was at the intersection of Nutmeg Court and Westwind Drive.
A 1997 Jeep SUV was traveling south on Nutmeg Court when its driver lost control and ran off the right side of the roadway. The Jeep then struck seven pedestrians, two adults and five children. All of the pedestrians were transported to Rockingham Memorial Hospital. An 18 month old child died as the result of injuries sustained in the crash. One Adult was transported to the University of Virginia Hospital.
The driver of the Jeep, a 16-year-old male from Harrisonburg, Va., was not injured in the crash.
The crash is being investigated by Trooper I. S. Sargent and is being assisted by the Virginia State Police Crash Reconstruction Team and Bureau of Criminal Investigations. The investigation into the cause of the crash remains ongoing at this time.
Under the direction of the Rockingham County Commonwealth Attorney’s Office the 16 year old driver has been charged involuntary manslaughter (Felony). The identity of the driver will not be released since the driver is a juvenile.
The VSP was assisted with the investigation by the Rockingham County Commonwealth Attorney’s Office, Rockingham County Sherriff’s Department, and local fire and rescue departments.
