FAIRFAX, Va. - Calls are growing across Fairfax County for more safety measures and permanent crossing guards near schools after a 13-year-old middle school student on a bike was struck and killed by a truck.
What we know:
It was one of three incidents Wednesday that involved vehicles and students on bikes or e-scooters, according to the school district.
Now parents are considering possible solutions and calling for more crossing guards.
READ MORE | Fairfax County considers restoring all high school crossing guards after funding cuts
"Focus on safety and things people are saying. Drivers paying more attention, kids paying more attention," said parent Donna Ebaugh when asked about solutions.
"It’s scary to have kids out on these bikes because they’re so fast," parent Kristine Kelly said. "I see them without helmets, and that’s scary too, but yes, crossing guards would help."
In two of the crashes Wednesday, students were on bikes or scooters when they encountered vehicles.
The driver who struck the 13-year-old Frost Middle School student did not stay on the scene, but was found nearby. The incident took place on Pickett Road near a shopping center.
READ MORE | 13-year-old killed after being struck by truck while riding bike in Northern Virginia
FOX 5 asked Fairfax City Police if the driver is facing charges. Officials said they have no further information to share at this time.
Police confirmed that an 11-year-old girl’s e-scooter was struck by a vehicle turning into a school parking lot in Chantilly, and a 13-year-old on a bike was struck by a car and taken to a hospital. However, officers said they were unavailable to discuss the incidents.
What they're saying:
"We all have a part to play when it comes to keeping students safe, whether they're pedestrians, on bikes, in cars, or on buses, and you know that work is essential, and it has to be built from partnership between the school system, the board of supervisors, our state leaders and the Virginia Department of Transportation, and our parents and students," said Fairfax County School Board Chair Karl Frisch. "So you know, part of that includes crossing; part of that includes other safe routes to school; part of that includes the responsibility of parents to obey directions from the schools about where and when to drop off students and pick students up."
Frisch responded to calls for permanent crossing guards by saying a district-wide assessment must be completed first.
"Any decision about that should be based on a complete assessment of the county in terms of where and what is required to keep kids safe," he said. "We want to make sure every penny is going towards keeping our students safe when they're going to and from school. That's what's important here."
The Source: Information in this article is from original FOX 5 DC reporting.