Truck hits, kills 6-year-old in school parking lot during dismissal, Louisiana cops say
A 6-year-old Louisiana girl was killed while trying to cross a school parking lot after classes let out, according to Slidell police.
Authorities said a driver struck Emma Bell Savoie during dismissal at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School on Wednesday, Feb. 23. The first-grader was in a group of students trying to cross the parking lot when she “accidentally ran out into the path of a truck.”
Officers arrived just before 3:30 p.m. in response to the accident, Slidell police said in a news release. Emma was taken to a hospital, where she died.
“The loss of a child is unimaginable,” Police Chief Randy Fandal said in a statement. “My thoughts and prayers are with the family, the school, the first responders and the entire Slidell community. This kind of tragedy affects us all.”
At a Feb. 24 news conference, Fandal said police and first responders did “everything they could” to save the girl.
“It appears to be a tragic accident ...” he told reporters. “For reasons I cannot understand, God decided that this was her time. Emma was taken way too early.”
Because it was dismissal time and parents were there to pick up their students, Fandal said “unfortunately there were young witnesses to the accident.”
Investigators said there’s no evidence that the driver of the truck was speeding or driving recklessly, according to the release. A school staff member was also directing traffic in the parking lot at the time.
No charges have been filed as of Feb. 25, but authorities said the investigation is ongoing.
Friends of the Savoie family remembered Emma and said the 6-year-old often likened herself to royalty.
“Emma Bell called herself a Princess,” according to a fundraiser launched on the family’s behalf. “The rest of us called her an Angel.”
Superintendent of Catholic schools Dr. RaeNell Houston said Our Lady of Lourdes canceled classes Thursday, Feb. 24, and Friday, Feb. 25, “in an effort to care for our school community.” Crisis counselors were on hand at the scene and during morning mass, she said.
The private Catholic school teaches pre-K through seventh grade, according to its website, and has 386 students.
Slidell is about 30 miles northeast of New Orleans.
This story was originally published February 25, 2022 at 7:55 AM with the headline "Truck hits, kills 6-year-old in school parking lot during dismissal, Louisiana cops say."