FORT PIERCE, Fla. — A 10-year-old girl has died after being struck Thursday morning by a hit-and-run driver while she was trying to get to a school bus, Fort Pierce police said.
Update 3:35 p.m. EDT Sept. 23: The girl, identified as Yaceny Berenice Rodriguez-Gonzalez, died after police found her unconscious at 6:35 a.m. in a grassy area near the intersection of Skylark Drive and Oleander Avenue.
Authorities transported Yaceny to Lawnwood Regional Medical Center, where she later died of her injuries.
“Officers learned that Rodriguez-Gonzalez was walking across the intersection to get on her school bus, which had its stop stick and flashing lights on,” police said in a statement posted on social media. “The driver was traveling northbound, struck the child, and fled the scene.”
Police said they were searching for a white 4-door sedan with right front-end damage in connection with the crash.
Original report: Police spokesperson Curtis Jennings told Treasure Coast Newspapers that a school bus was picking up children for Allapattah Flats K-8 school in nearby St. Lucie when a driver ignored the bus’s flashing lights and struck the girl. Authorities estimated her to be about 10 or 11 years old, WPBF reported.
The girl was taken to Lawnwood Regional Medical Center in critical condition, police said. Authorities said they were looking for a small white car with front-end damage in connection with the crash.
Authorities continue to investigate.