According to distressing accounts, the little girl was hurrying to reach the bus when she stumbled and fell beneath the speeding vehicle.
Annaliese Backner, a sixth-grade student at Grand Valley Middle School in Parachute, was identified as the 11-year-old on Friday.
Brad Ray, superintendent for Garfield County School District 16, addressed during a news conference and regarded the incident as a “sad day for all”.
He stated that it is a terrible day for everyone. It’s a terrible day for schools, it’s a sad day for the community, and it’s a sad day tonight in houses, added Ray. The key obligation going forward is to respect the families’ privacy while also caring for the pupils amid this devastating loss, said the principal.
Annaliese, whose family had requested that her picture and identity be made public, died at the scene after collapsing beneath the bus’s wheels.
Although Parachute Police and Grand Valley Fire were lauded for their prompt reaction, they were unable to save the small child.
Annaliese’s 11-year-old death is being examined as an accident, with blunt force injuries being the preliminary reason for her death.
The coroner hopes that a definitive autopsy report will be issued sometime within the next several weeks.
Little child, rest in peace. Our sympathies go out to her family during this difficult time.
