Projo 7 to 7 News Blog

If by "causing at least serious injury" the Warwick Police mean a horrific and violent death, then I suppose their comment is rather appropriate. I know this because I live in the vicinity of the accident, and while the police were busy commenting to the media and diverting traffic they neglected to conceal the scene of the accident, and left the seriously injured pedestrian in the eye line to anybody driving by, including my own child on the way to school. She was so traumatized she had to have me pick her up and bring her back home. The Warwick Police should be ashamed of themselves.

How terrible! I drive by there most days.

The whole stretch of Warwick Ave from Post Road to Hoxie 4 Corners has FAR too few safe crosswalks for pedestrians. It's a major commuting route between Warwick and Providence, avoiding the highway traffic. I see kids trying to cross, with cars just whooshing by, oblivious. As much as I dislike disrupting traffic flow, I think the traffic engineers should consider adding some pedestrian-only stoplights and crosswalks near popular destinations like Planet Fitness, etc.

This is so tragic. Since we moved to Warwick, I've always been concerned with the lack of crossing guards or police on the streets around the schools - especially when so many of them are on extremely busy, heavily travelled roads. I don't think the money saved was worth this.

This is a Friday that we will never forget... We didn't just loose another person, We Lost Another Family Member, A Patriot... This Day and Tragic Event will never be forgotten becuse as Mr.Mullen, Mr.Miller, and Ms.Cote say's "When You Become A Pilgrim Patriot, You Will Always Be A Pilgrim Patriot"... And everyone better remember that... we always stick together no matter what... well thats all I can say, God Rest Your Soul... (~C.A.T~)-(!!!Class of 2010!!!)...

I was driving to work this morning and saw the aftermath of this horrible event. There were police cars, rescue vehicles and the bus, which was parked near the street. A feeling of fear rushed through my entire body. At first, I thought the bus had hit the Warwick Walk-in building. I am so emotionally touched by this horrific event. May God bless this poor victim, as well the the woman driving the bus. She must be devastated.

This is so tragic. My heart goes out to the victim and the bus driver who will live with this the rest of her life.

Horrible tragedy. My prayers are with all involved.

Tragic morning. My condolences to the family of the child and my thought also for those on the bus who witnessed it, the classmates, and the driver.

My thoughts and prayers are with the Victim, her family, and everyone else involved. The students who witnessed it, driver of the bus, and the police and firefighters on scene will never forget what they saw for the rest of their lives. Such a terrible tragic thing. My condolences to all.

It's not the lack of a crosswalk that's to blame in this case; the child was in a crosswalk when she was struck by the bus. Perhaps new buses need to be designed/commissioned that provide a more peripheral view for the driver.

Tragic... But there's absolutely no excuse for it. I've seen school bus drivers make all kinds of inattentive (and that's being kind) mistakes, including running stop signs and red lights.

the body was covered before the police arrived. the principal stayed in front of the accident area until the appropriate personal could secure the area. you unfortunatley were among the far too many people who were there to see the accident. please don't blame the police on an already tragic day

My daughter called me soon after she got to school and told me about this horrible tragedy. My heart goes out to the driver, the girl's family and friends, and anyone who witnessed the accident. My prayers for strength and comfort are with them.

My condolences to the family, I cannot imagine the pain they must be feeling.

Disgusted Resident....why is it the police's fault that you saw the victim under the bus? First off I don't believe that the police cars are equipped with anything to cover the undercarraige of a bus from view. Secondly it must have been a chaotic scene, dealing with the accident, fire trucks all over the place, ensuring that another accident does not happen with all the other traffic.

When the scene was stabilized the fire department was able to shield the victims body from view. When dealing with a scene like this there are other, far more important priorities which need to be attended to.

Sorry that you had to see this, but blaming the police is unfair.

Concerned parent....Are more crossing guards the answer or should a high school aged student be able to follow the pedestrian control signals present? If the bus had the green light then the red pedestrian light was almost certainly lit. But that is why the scene gets preserved until the accident investigation is completed.

This is one of my biggest fears realized. This intersection has always been wildly dangerous. Drivers on Warwick Ave FLY to get through that light. I have counted three or four cars that run the light at each change. And this is where our local children cross by themselves to go to and from Pilgrim, Aldrich, and sometimes the elementary schools!! Maybe a tragedy like this will spur the city to put the crossing guard BACK on that corner??
Many prayers going out to the families and children affected by this.

I was a student on that bus, and the memory of this will haunt me for years to come. I would like to extend my thoughts and prayers to the victim and her family and friends, the driver, and also to the other kids on the bus and those that witnessed it outside of the bus.
RIP.

OUR PRAYERS AND THOUGHTS ARE WITH THE FAMILY AND ANYONE WHO WITNESSED THIS TRAGIC ACCIDENT.

Our prayers are with all the people that had to witness this tragady.

So the student was wearing headphones and may have had her hood up. In addition to it being her responsibiity to be aware of the traffic...is it not also the responsibility of the bus driver to be vigilant while driving - especially in the vicinity of the schools?

That's what teenagers do - they put up the hood of their hoodie, wear headphones and walk to school. Do not place the blame solely on the student who was killed...how about placing most on the bus driver who is required to be in control of her vehicle at all times...and to drive extra carefully in all school zones??

It is a tragedy all around - my prayers are with the young woman's family, her friends, teachers and the rest of the students as well as the driver of the bus that killed her.

Just awful!

I truly feel for the driver, but i don't understand how a school bus that's not moving at high speed can actually cause such a tragedy. There must be something that can be done to keep this from happening. I live on Main ave and crossing the road is like attempting suicide. My thoughts and prayers are with the victim and family.

Apparently money is also being saved by Warwick through the use of the "First Student" bus company, which is based in Ohio. And their most recent fatal accident was only in January? Not a good record IMO.

Condolences to the victims friend and family- this should not have happened.

This is so tragic, and I am afraid accidents will happen more and more as schools cut Bus Monitor positions. How is a driver supposed to keep an eye on the children on the bus, and everything going on outside the bus?!?!?! When children act up in the bus, and the driver has to look and yell at the kids themselves, this creates way too much distraction. We NEED bus monitors!

This is very tragic. BUT I hope people will think twice of wearing headphones everywhere. Pedestrians, cyclists all wear them - loud as well... I see people in the cars wearing them now, that's illegal (on a bike too). Look at it up the RI State Laws website. With that, all of you reading this - whom think I am ass.. My prayers will be for this victim and the bus driver at church this weekend.. Where will yours be?

What possible difference can it make that the girl
was wearing earphones. She was in the crosswalk.
How could the bus driver not see her. If the driver is making the turn onto Pilgrim Parkway from Warwick Ave. at a reasonable speed, she should have seen the girl and been able to stop the bus.

As a member of the very first Pilgrim graduationg class of 1963, and as a reunion committe member, I would so very much wish to express my sense of loss in the aftermath of this tragedy. It seems so sensless that a young person have his/her life taken from them at so young an age. On behalf of my class, I would like to express my extreme condolences to her family and friends.
While I'm sure that there will be enough blame to be spread around I find that I am hoping that no one is singled out to be the scapegoat.
I live off of the Narragansett Parkway and pass that intersetion twice a day going to and from work and I've seen people talking on their phones trying to beat that red light. I've seen kids on bikes try to beat the moving cars.
This type of behavior, as always, is reprehensible ... and now a young girl has been taken from us all.
Maybe my city will now wake up and put some monitors at dangerous intersection near our schools.

This is a horrible tragedy; the parents and the friends will never forget this day. Unfortunately it will happen again until our children and our adults give full concentration to situations as serious as crossing a busy street; driving a car, etc. without using devices like headphones, cell phones, texting, twittering.....

Bus monitors are costly and do not help the situation. Safety rules from the home and the school are the answer.

This accident happened right out side my house. I said a prayer right away. I am so saddened by this. I have 2 children and i cannot imagine the phone call that the parents will receive today. Thinking about that makes my heart hurt. I know that death is hard to deal with but, just surround yourself with family and friends and God and I hope this give you the strength to carry on.

Losing a child is unamaginable and I know that she is a Angel and she will be with you ALWAYS...

GOD BLESS

A SADDENED MOTHER..

Unfortunately with all the kids (and adults) wearing Ipods while walking around... they are less likely to know what is going on around them. If you are going to take away your own sense of hearing then you need to be very vigilant while walking, especially when crossing the street. Not blaming this poor girl, at all, just making an observation. Hopefully this spurs some education for students about the danger of walking while listening to an Ipod. One can never be too careful. I don't wear an Ipod while walking my dog, for fear I could miss hearing a car coming towards me or god forbid an assailant coming up behind me.

My condolences to the family and friends of this young girl, and the Pilgrim community.

I am very sorry this happened but I am not surprised. Please stop commenting on how unsafe it is for pedestrians. The pedestrians are causing the problem. I work in downtown Providence and I see all too often exactly what happened today without the fatal consequences. People walk all the time with into intersections while listening to music or talking on cell phones without bothering to look to see if a car is coming. And when there is a near miss (and I have seen plenty) then the driver usually cursed by the pedestrian. And it is the driver 100% who prevents the accident by paying attention.

This young lady lost her life in a tragic accident that could have been avoided if she had followed the simple advice of looking both ways before crossing the street.

How tragic and sad and so avoidable. I don't know the whole story yet, but I will make my own comment about stop signs, I am an avid bike rider, I do ride on the sidewalks, when I come to a side road I can't count how many times the car blows right through the sign. People, take that extra 5 secs, and come to a complete stop, it could save someones life.

On a daily basis I witness the inattentive bus drivers in the state of rhode island -- talking on cell phones, pulling out in front of traffic, all while student (precious cargo) are on board.

My heartfelt sympathies go out to the family.

No use in passing blame back and forth...The damage is done, the ultimate price paid.

Bickering only adds pain when it is clearly a time for healing.

My saddened heart goes out to all involved and for all who witnessed. May you find the strength to get thru this terrible ordeal. May her memory live on thur the love of her family and friends.

Truly sorry for this tragic event.

I can't understand how this bus driver could not have seen her crossing. The crosswalk she was in was PARALLEL to Warwick Ave, for all you people complaining about cars on Warwick Ave running the light at that intersection.

So this means that both the girl and the bus had a GREEN LIGHT. If the girl was in a crosswalk, then she clearly had the right of way. So this means that the bus driver failed to yield to the pedestrian in the crosswalk.

The only other reasonable explanation is that the girl did not lock left (if she was walking South) and stepped off the curb into the path of the bus at the last moment, just as the bus was about to traverse the crosswalk.

If the girl was walking North, then she had the right of way and the bus driver should have had plenty of time to see her in the crosswalk, since all reports indicate the bus was heading NORTH and taking a left-hand turn.

Robert, the girl was actually supposed to cross at that time. When the light on Warwick Avenue turns green, the light on Pilgrim Parkway turns red, allowing people to cross the Parkway. The people turning onto that street are supposed to watch for pedestrians, and allow them to continue crossing. Some of the students on the bus were able to see her crossing, but for some reason the bus driver could not. My heart goes out to the family. She was a good kid, and this is a terrible tragedy.

I missed this by mere minutes this morning - my daughter went in early to catch a bus to NYC with the Chorus. Sounds to me like a horrible tragedy and loss for everyone. My heart and prayers go out to the Families and anyone who had the misfortune to see or feel this happen. I will take a different way home tonight though... Peace

PLAG: How dare you!! How do you know whether this young lady looked both ways or not? Also, if she was already in the crosswalk than it was up to the bus to stop. REMEMBER, the law states you must stop for a pedestrian in a crosswalk. There is no blame here...it was a horrible accident at a very busy intersection. Clearly the bus driver didn't see this young lady and made the turn. AND BY THE WAY, this particular situation has NOTHING to do with what you see in downtown Providence.

Just as pedestrians need to be aware, so do drivers. My sister was crossing Mineral Spring Ave one day, walking to work, and she crossed at the crosswalk during a red light for the traffic. As she is in the middle of the road an old lady just runs the red light and misses her by a foot; completely unaware or just plain ignorant of what she had done. My sister was aware enough to stop where she was because the woman was not stopping at all. The article doesn't say whether the girl was crossing at a red light or not, but either way it is tragic and if the bus driver was truly paying attention, she should have realized a person crossing the street. According to the article so far, it doesn't seem like the girl darted out in front of the bus.

I am a graduate of Pilgrim and the 4 years I was there we lost many friends to accidents. My younger sisters are close friends to Kim and I know our hearts and prayers go out to her and her family. We will all miss you Kim. RIP...and support goes out to the bus driver and those who witnessed this tragedy.

K.P *RIP*

I've read the comments posted and this is truly and accident - something that may or may not have occurred due to the negligence on anyone's part. If you've ever been in an accident, you will know that it all happens in a millisecond and we all if we could would want to avoid it at all costs but sometimes the timing is just not in your favor. In life, bad things do occur and they do every second, somewhere and sometime. Unless this busdriver was reportedly speeding, or otherwise was under the influence, I can say with some degree of certainty that she is devastated. If she is a career driver and has a blemish free record, you can also say this was a freak accident. To say the young girl should or shouldn't have had an Ipod or a hooded shirt is absurd. Thousands and thousands of people walk the streets, malls, parks with either. Did the fact that she had it on contribute to the outcome, certainly I'm sure. But what if she was holding a cup of coffee or a donut, would that have affected the outcome . . . possibly. We will never fully understand the whys of these fateful occurrences. If you are a spiritual person, and believe that evil/bad is the ramifications for sinfullness then it is all random and this could happen to anyone. At any given time a tragedy can befall any one of us. This young girl when about her daily routine this day just as any other with a horrific outcome. This is life. If I had the power, I would change may things.

I recieved this news clip and felt compelled to write. I am in the transit business and very familiar with these types of tragic incidents. Fist off, my heart goes out to the family and friends of the vicitm as well as the bus operator. as far as prevention there is a device called the S-1 device that prohibits a person from being run over by the rear wheels of bus or other large vehicle. The approximate cost for this device is $2000.00 per bus and First Student should be required to install these on their equipment or at least want to install them. there may even be a grant for these under the new administration, certainly $2000.00 is not alot of money when compared to saving a child or anyones life. Please pass this on to First Student or anyone who will listen. Please do not blaim police, the THI's job is a very difficult as well as all first responders, it was a tragic accident.

My condolences to the family and friends of Kim. My condolences are also to the students, bus driver, faculty, and other drivers, who witnessed this horrendous incident. It was a somber day at Pilgrim and all our prayers are for Kim and her family, students and faculty. This is a tragedy that will not be forgotten. I hope the city of Warwick will now rethink where they are going to save money. Is it worth having tragedies such as this to save the money on crossing guards and monitors? These intersections are busy with cars and students, and the cars do not drive slow on these busy roads. These are the children of our future and they should have protection while they are traveling to and from school.
My prayers to the entire Pilgrim Community. Once a Patriot, Always a Patriot.
RIP

Teacher

This day is truly sad this morning my son called me, he was on the bus, I thought he left a book to my surprize he was calling to let me know his bus had an accident and that they think the girl the bus hit is deceased. He saw the whole thing most of them did unfortunately it was 20 minutes before they could get off the bus and they had a clear veiw from the windows of the young girls body. He and many others are going to have that image engraved in their minds, but it is nothing in comparison to what the young ladies parents must be going through. All the finger pointing without the facts is disgraceful. At least the other kids are only emotionally scarred and alive. Be Grateful!
My deepest and most solemn condolences to family and freinds of this family in their time of need.

I've lived in RI for over 20 years, and the first thing I noticed when arriving here is how bad the drivers are. Many times over the last 10 years I've caught myself doing some of the same stupid and arrogant things that RI drivers do, and have finally concluded that I've become a typical RI driver too. When a tragedy like this occurs, I think of the many many times that I've seen similar near miss accidents almost occur, due to pedestians AND drivers not paying attention to their surroundings, too busy with their cell phones glued to their ear, or off in their own world listening to who knows what on their headphones. It easy enough to criticize the events in this latest tragedy, but all that any of us can really say is something like "there but for the grace of God go I". Anything other than that is just people throwing stones from their glass houses. The way we all barrel from point A to point B, the bus driver or the student could have been any of us at any given time. As almost all have said, our prayers and thoughts are with the families of both student and bus driver.

WHERE WERE THE OR WAS THE CROSSING GUARD ??????

THE STORY IS MAKING IT SEEM LIKE ITS ALL THE CHILDS FAULT /WHY ???????

Plag - Turning vehicles are supposed to yield to pedestrians, not the other way around. Whether the girl was attentive or not, she was crossing on a green light and had the right of way. Even if she was paying attention, she probably wouldn't have been able to get out of the way in time.

This is just horrible. 2 lives destroyed in the blink of an eye. Everyone with teens and young adults as dependents, show this to them, so they know you are not just nagging when you say "turn the devices off and be aware of what's happening around you". With teens of my own, I know how hard it is to explain all the dangers in our world. This is just too sad.

My condolances to the family of this poor angel. As a parent I can't imagine the pain her family is going through. My heart has been saddened all day.
Why must people be so negative when such a tragedy has occured?
So what if her hood was on listening to her music. She was a typical teenages.

A note to several commenters:

The young woman who died was not in a crosswalk when she was struck. Read the article again: "when she walked into the intersection, then out of the crosswalk into the lane of travel when she was hit by the bus".

The article does not say that the driver was not to blame, only that she was suspended pending an investigation. Evidently neither the police nor the employers know enough yet to say how responsible the driver is, and considering that any premature statement on that subject approaches defamation of character, they're right to do so.

Walking into a street with your senses impaired by a set of headphones, _and_ a hoodie obstructing your view, _and_ inattentively enough to wander out of the crosswalk _and_ carelessly enough not to look around ... I'm sorry, that really is courting death. Whatever responsibility the driver is eventually found to share, that remains true. That level of lack of attention to one's personal safety will eventually be rewarded with death or serious injury.

This is a tragic accident. I for one knew the girl, and her sister, just as an aquiantance, but it is still heartbreaking. I want to say RIP for Kim, and that she'll always live in our hearts. And I send my best wishes for the family. This is not the fault of either, just a tragic accident. People should not argue over the fault of it.

RIP Kim

What a tragedy. My prayers go out to the girl's friends and family, the bus driver, and the children who were on that bus that witnessed the scene. Maybe we need to put crossing guards near and around high schools?

To all affected by this tragedy, my thoughts and prayers are with you.

To all who feel this is the appropriate forum to condemn Kimberly for wearing a hoodie (on a nasty, rainy day), please consider the feelings of her family and friends on this, probably the worst day of their lives.

We've all made decisions that could potentially have resulted in tragedy. Perhaps it's easier to place blame than just pause for a moment to mourn for this young woman and her loved ones and thank G-d (or whomever) that today isn't your worst day ever. Compassion over criticism.

As one whose child also died suddenly and tragically, I wish those who knew and loved Kimberly peace in the days to come.

Can't we all just cease blaming the student victim, the driver, the police, and Warwick school dept. long enough to mourn an unspeakable tragedy? There will be plenty of time to cast blame and put the pieces together. In the interim, people would be best served supporting the family of this student, as well as the driver.

For everyone involved.. I am so so sorry.

I have worked in education for 20 years, and I cannot think of a sadder situation for everyone involved. The family, friends, teachers, and others who knew this girl will be forever affected, but the students on that bus will live with this as part of their youthful memories forever. As a mother of 2, I pray for her parents and siblings; I hope they are faithful people, because they will hopefully be guided by their faith.

My family would like to extend our deepest sympathies and condolences to the Pisaturo family in their time of grieving. Though I do not know the vicitm or her family, this terrible and tragic accident has deeply affected us as fellow Warwick residents. If there is to be a memorial fund of some sort, please let us know. Thank you, and peace be to Kimberly and her family.

Being a substitute high school teacher in Warwick, I have had the opportunity to meet many young people and Kim was one of them. Though I did not know her for very long, I am proud to say that I had a chance to meet her. Her place at Pilgrim will be sorely missed.

My sincere sorrow goes out to the family of Kim, the students on the buss, the bus driver, the witnesses of this horrific accident and all of those that have been affected by this tragic accident. Their lives will never be the same.

Time will help everyone get through this and heal, but that empty seat in class will always be a constant reminder of a life that was taken far too early in her short life. Peace to all.