ORLANDO, Fla. — There is a push for transportation safety as a community remembers a 9-year-old who was killed by an Orange County school bus.
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The Florida Safety Council teaches drivers and pedestrians about road safety.
“Remember it’s a big vehicle,” Bonnie Frank with the Florida Safety Council said. “Big vehicles can’t see you.”
Frank is the council’s Driver Education Specialist, and she said when a school bus is approaching bus riders need to stay off the road so that they are clearly visible on sidewalks.
Watch: Community rallies around family of boy, 9, hit & killed by Orange County school bus
“There are blind spots all over vehicles,” Frank said. “The longer and the bigger the vehicle is, the bigger the blind spots are.”
After a full day at school, Frank understands the excitement of returning home. She says it’s important for students to remember safety when they step off the bus. She says if something is dropped and goes under the vehicle do not retrieve it.
“If the driver doesn’t see you, the driver sees you come off, the driver doesn’t know you’re coming back,” Frank said.
These safety reminders come after 9-year-old Elyas Amyr Marshall Rodriguez was killed Tuesday afternoon after being hit by an Orange County school bus.
Witnesses said he got off the bus and started walking away but then dropped his football and crawled under the bus to get it.
His family says they know there is a long road ahead for them to heal from this tragedy.
Watch: FHP: Boy, 9, dies after crawling under school bus in Orange County
“You have to take it day by day,” the family said. “We’re going to take it day by day.”
Florida Highway Patrol said Tuesday’s bus incident is still under investigation.
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