ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — A boy heading home from school on a bicycle was struck and killed by a semi Wednesday, and troopers are looking for the rig that hit him.
- Semi struck, killed boy on bicycle in Orange County
- FHP: Driver left scene; unclear if they knew about crash
- Boy attended nearby Wetherbee Elementary School
The 10-year-old Orlando boy was struck near the intersection of Wetherbee Road and Landstar Boulevard, and the semi drove off, Florida Highway Patrol Lt. Kim Montes said.
She said it's unclear whether the driver of the semi was aware that the boy was struck.
The child, who attended nearby Wetherbee Elementary School, was taken to Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children, where he died. His name has not been released.
Florida Highway Patrol troopers say, according to witnesses, the semi truck was hauling a trailer on Wetherbee Road when the right side of the trailer reportedly struck the boy and his bike to the ground when the driver tried making a right turn onto Landstar Boulevard.
According to the FHP report, witnesses say they saw the boy traveling in the crosswalk on a 'walk' signal across Landstar Boulevard.
Troopers say the semi was white, with "blue/black lettering on the side of the cab."
Cornellious Smith said his 7-year-old son saw the crash as they were coming home from school.
"It was a white cab, semi pickup truck, tractor trailer on it," Smith said. "It had red writing on it. I don’t know what the writing was; I just know it was a white semi truck.”
Grief counselors were expected at Wetherbee Elementary on Thursday.
The investigation is ongoing, according to Lt. Kim Montes with FHP.