POSTED: Wednesday, February 1, 2012 - 12:04am
UPDATED: Friday, February 3, 2012 - 8:20am
EL PASO- An 11-year-old girl died and another was hurt when they were hit by a pickup truck while crossing a street outside an east El Paso elementary school Tuesday afternoon.
Patricia Chapa is in shock because she knows the 11-year-old girl who was hit and killed. She said drivers need to be more cautious in school zones.
"We have to respect the school zone,” Chapa said. “We have to make sure they're not driving fast. We got to slow down for the children."
Police said three girls were crossing the street at Edgemere and Lee near Bill Sybert School at 4:24 p.m. when a truck came through and hit two of the girls.
"As the three were in the crosswalk, they were crossing against the don't walk signal at the same time a pickup truck was driving southbound on Lee Blvd," said Darrel Petry with the El Paso Police Department.
Ambulances rushed both girls to University Medical Center where one of them died.
All three children are students at Bill Sybert School.
"It is a tragedy and we're working right now to extend our hand to the family," said Pat O'Neil, Assistant Superintendent of Socorro ISD.
O'Neil said grief counselors will be at the school Wednesday morning.
"We're going to be dealing with this tragedy with the students and staff at Bill Sybert School," said O'Neil.
Students who learned about the fatal accident went to see what had happened..
"It's very sad that she got ran over," said student Jesus Crespo.
Police have not released any information about the driver of the pickup truck.