North Miami ,FL : One student killed and two others injured after struck by a car on their way to school on Tuesday morning,September 15th 2015

One student was killed and two others hospitalized after being struck by a car on their way to school, Tuesday morning.

The accident occurred at Northeast 135th Street and Seventh Avenue in North Miami, sometime after 6:30 a.m. Police have confirmed the pedestrians are students at North Miami Senior High School.

According to officials, the students were hit just 15 minutes before the school zone speed limit was enforced. One male student, later identified as Henry Ronald Touissant, was pronounced dead on the scene. For most of the morning, his body lay covered in the street, after he was hit. Tuesday evening, a few students gathered in the area of the crash to set up a roadside memorial. Others nearby joined hands and formed a prayer circle.

He was walking with two sisters. One of them, identified as Laura Perez was airlifted to Jackson Memorial Hospital and is now undergoing surgery. Her boyfriend, Waldo Singotani, described her as "funny, calm and caring." Her sister, Carolina Perez, was also hospitalized although she was not hit. The students are said to be between the ages of 15 and 16 years old.

When he arrived on the scene, the father of the deceased student was so devastated, he collapsed onto the concrete and had to be treated by emergency responders. His family members were in disbelief. "I don't believe it. I didn't believe it until I saw him," said Claude Touissant, Henry's father.

Touissant said his son worked hard and just wanted to help his family. "He's my one, my boy."

The vehicle involved remained on the scene, and the driver is cooperating with police. 7Skyforce captured images of the dark gray Sedan, which sustained heavy damage on the front passenger side of the car. "It's a tragedy for the entire community," said North Miami Police Maj. Annmarie Cardona.

"No, don't, don't. He's not dead, not dead. I still can't believe it," said his grandmother Karen Eady. "When he left the house this morning, the first thing he said was, 'Bye, grandpa. Bye, grandma.' Last night, we sit down we watch wrestling. He eat one pot of rice. We sit down after, and we talk."

In a statement, Miami-Dade County Public Schools superintendent Alberto Carvalho said the following about the incident Tuesday morning, "The entire Miami-Dade County Public Schools family joins the North Miami Senior High School family in mourning the tragic loss of one of our students in an accident this morning. Our heartfelt thoughts and prayers are with the student's family and for the speedy recovery of the other students involved."

Grief counselors are on campus for students and teachers at the school to speak to.

The students on campus now have more to worry about than being late for homeroom or exams. Now, they're concerned about two of their friends.

Instead of spending Tuesday at school, a few students gathered at the Ryder Trauma Center to visit their injured friends. "She's a good girl," Singotani said. "She's funny, calm, nice. She's always protective of me. She cares. I was sick yesterday and she took care of me."

He told 7News that Laura was in surgery. "I was in class when I found out, and I was like, I was shaking," said friend Joel Berthulien. "I couldn't get my head around what had happened."

Another friend, Lori Noboa, described Laura as, "fun, funny, adventurous, she's awesome."

Although Carolina was not hit, she is being treated for pains that are less severe than her sister. "She has pains in her head, her neck. Her body hurts," Noboa said. "We got picked up early because we wanted to come see her."


Source:
2 students killed in school bus crash identified