School bus hits, kills high school girl in Sandy

A school bus hit and killed a high school student on Friday afternoon at the intersection of State Street and 8375 South in Sandy. Police are investigating the cause of the crash.

A school bus hit and killed a high school student on Friday afternoon at the intersection of State Street and 8375 South in Sandy. Police are investigating the cause of the crash. (Ryan Sun, Deseret News)


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SANDY — A school bus hit and killed a high school student on Friday afternoon in Sandy.

Officers responded to reports of an auto-pedestrian accident involving a bus at 1 p.m. Friday, Sandy police Sgt. Greg Moffitt said. The crash occurred at the intersection of State Street and 8375 South.

Moffitt said a Canyons School District school bus was driving 16 Hillcrest High School students when the bus hit a pedestrian, according to police.

The driver and none of the students on the bus were injured in the accident, but police confirmed the pedestrian hit was a 15-year-old girl who attends to Jordan High School.

An email was sent to parents of Jordan High School students that identified the student as Jennifer Flores Diaz.

"Our deepest condolences go out to the student's parents and family and to Jordan High teachers, staff and students who are struggling with pain and loss," Jordan High officials said in the email.

Canyons School District is working with parents to provide grief counseling for anyone involved in the accident or who might be impacted by the loss.

"The loss of any child — at any time — is heartbreaking for a community. Today, the entire Canyons District community mourns the tragic passing of one of our beautiful and cherished students who died in an auto-pedestrian accident involving a school bus. Canyons District sends our heartfelt condolences to the family of the student, as well as the student's friends, teachers, and school staff who will struggle with the pain and loss of a loved one," Canyons School District Superintendent Rick Robins said.

"As superintendent, I want our community to know that counseling services will be provided to students, faculty, and staff who are struggling with difficult emotions following the incident. A student death certainly can prompt feelings of anxiety or distress as peers try to cope with grief. We ask parents to talk with their children about their emotions and reach out to the school or the District Office if they need additional help to support their student. This is a difficult time for all of us, and we express our appreciation for the support that has already been shown to our school community," Robins said.

A crash reconstruction team is investigating the accident to determine the sequence of events that led to the crash, police said.

Northbound State Street is closed between 8600 and 8300 South. Traffic has been closed to one lane heading south, and Moffitt encourages anyone who normally uses this route to try and avoid the area.

This story will be updated.

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Cassidy Wixom covers Utah County communities and is the evening breaking news reporter for KSL.com.

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