8-year-old girl critical after getting hit by car while she was getting on school bus

HENRY COUNTY, Ga. — An 8-year-old girl remains in critical condition after the Georgia State Patrol said a driver passed a school bus with its stop sign out and hit her as she attempted to get on the bus.

The girl is in critical condition. People are dropping off flowers and stuffed animals at the scene.

Channel 2′s Tom Jones went to Rock Springs Elementary, the school the child attends.

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He spoke to one parent who hadn’t heard what happened.

“Oh my goodness. I’m sorry. I have two kids here,” Lindsay Bridges said

Bridges had to fight back tears after she learned one of her children’s schoolmates is in critical condition. The 8-year-old was hit trying to get on her school bus Thursday morning.

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“It’s crazy to think about something like that happening to a child when you have kids. Well even if you don’t have kids. It’s very, very sad to hear about. But I can just imagine what those parents are going through,” Bridges said.

It happened on Jackson Lake Road in Henry County. Channel 2 Action News was back at the scene as the Georgia State Patrol reconstructed what happened.

Troopers said a school bus was stopped with its stop sign out. They say a 25-year-old driver ignored the stop sign, and hit the 8-year-old as she crossed the street, trying to get to the bus.

The incident was on the minds of parents picking up their children at Rock Springs.

“It breaks my heart. Breaks my heart for her mother. I mean her whole family,” parent Kelly Folds said.

“For somebody to be in that much of a hurry that you can’t wait a few minutes. Not even a few minutes,” parent Richard Williams offered.

It’s why Bridges refuses to put her children on the bus.

“I’ve seen so many situations where there are buses and these cars, they’re dropping off the students and they’re flying around. And I’m like trying my best to stay in my vehicle and not shout at like what are you doing,” Bridges said.

GSP is not releasing the suspect’s name right now and says charges are pending.

The school system says it is looking to provide support to the school community.

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