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9-year-old dragged, run over by school bus in Massachusetts

PLAINFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – A young girl was killed in Plainfield, Friday afternoon, after she was dragged and then run over by a school bus.

Dave Procopio of the Massachusetts State Police Media Relations said the accident happened around 4:00 p.m. Friday, on South Central Street in Plainfield. The 9-year-old girl was being dropped off at her stop.

The initial investigation shows that the girl was not fully clear from the school bus, and she was caught by the door when it closed, Procopio said. The bus driver then took off, dragging the girl for a short distance before she was then run over by the bus.

Procopio said the girl was a student at a school in the area and several other children were on the bus when the accident happened. The name of the school and the bus company are not being released at this time.

The driver, whose identity has not been released, was interviewed State Police detectives attached to the Northwestern District Attorney’s Office. The State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Team and the State Police Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Section were called in to assist with the investigation.

The girl was rushed to Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield, but passed away just before 5 p.m. Counseling services are being offered to the school community.

Procopio said troopers from the Northampton Barracks, along with the Plainfield Fire and EMS, were the first to arrive at the crash site.