On Wednesday evening, a 9-year-old child who was just dropped off by their school bus was struck by a dump truck on a Belle Chase area highway.
The preliminary investigation showed that the nine-year-old was dropped off at their bus stop on LA Hwy 23, close to Danos Lane, and in line with the routine procedure, the bus extended its stop signs and activated its flashing lights.
Despite the signs and alerts, a 1989 Ford dump truck, driven by 61-year-old Gregory Valentine of Donaldsonville approaching from the rear was on course to slam into the back of the school bus. To avoid this from happening, Valentine veered to the right, but ended up hitting the nine-year-old. The youngster sustained serious injuries and was rushed to a local hospital.
Authorities believe that Valentine was not impaired at the time of the crash, but they adhered to the routine procedure and collected a voluntary blood sample from him. The results of the standard toxicology test are pending. Valentine was accused of negligent injuring, reckless operation of a vehicle, and driving with a suspended license.
The incident remains under review.
October 8, 2021
Source: wbrz.com
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