People in Vardaman and throughout Calhoun County are in mourning after a 7 year old was struck and killed by an 18 wheeler as she was getting off a school bus with her younger brother.
People in vardaman and throughout calhoun county are in mourning after a 7 year old was struck and killed by an 18 wheeler as she was getting off a school bus with her younger brother.
Wcbi's allie martin has more .
This deep rut was made when the 18 wheeler ran off highway 8 after hitting the brother and sister.
Seconds after the tragedy, workers at a nearby county barn, sprang into action.
Carl mooneyham had just returned to the county barn when he noticed the 18 wheeler with a full load of lumber, heading east on highway 8.
"we were standing in front of the shed and i saw the big truck come around the other truck and i was watching the two kids had got off of the bus and i told my co worker , i said, it's a bad situation, we have to go to the top of the hill."
When they reached the top of the hill, mooneyham and his co worker realized the extent of the tragedy.
"the boy was sitting on his behind, crying, the aunt was there, it was a bad tragedy."
Five year old luis montero was airlifted to lebonheur children's hospital.
His sister, 7 year old vareria, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Mooneyham and other county employees helped get more than 20 terrified children off the bus , to a safe location away from the road, where another bus was dispatched to pick them up.
"that's the first incident i've ever been involved in with a kid, and i have grandkids, i've had kids, i couldn't imagine anything like that happening to one of mine."
Seventy year old james thomas murphy was the driver of the 18 wheeler that struck the children.
Murphy told police he was traveling east on highway 8, and saw this gravel truck stopped in the roadway.
Murphy says he couldn't stop, swerved into the westbound lane, noticed he was heading straight for the stopped school bus, swerved to the right, and struck the children.
Murphy's truck left the highway, and came to a stop in this field, losing his load of lumber.
Vardaman police chief kenneth scott says the accident has impacted the entire community.
"the whole county, our community, our school, just devastated, i answered a lot of calls, it don't get no worse than something like this, it affects first responders, bystanders, that assisted, all law enforcement."
This case will go to the grand jury who will decide whether or not to indict, in the meantime, family friends and the entire community will be going through a long grieving process.
In vardaman, allie martin, wcbi news murphy has been released from the calhoun county jail after posting 50 thousand
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