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An 87-year-old man from California is facing charges of vehicular manslaughter after he ran over a group of children on the side of the road near Desert Hot Springs. The kids had just been dropped off by their school bus. They were walking home when the driver, identified as Robert Hanson, rear-ended a different school bus in a white 1994 Cadillac.
Hanson tried to go around the school bus and sped onto the dirt shoulder. He knocked over a speed limit sign and then slammed into a group of four children.
Authorities said that nine-year-old Monica Gonzalez Guzman was killed at the scene. An eight-year-old boy was seriously injured and rushed to the hospital along with an 11-year-old girl who suffered minor injuries. A 12-year-old girl was treated at the scene for minor injuries.
"It is overwhelming to hear and process this kind of tragic news," Palm Springs Unified Superintendent Mike Swize said, according to the Palm Springs Desert Sun. "We want our families and staff to know that we are here for them to provide any supports they need now or in the coming days and weeks ahead. All of us at Palm Springs Unified extend our heartfelt condolences at this most difficult time."
Hanson was taken to the hospital and then booked into the John J. Benoit Detention Center on charges of vehicular manslaughter and hit-and-run, resulting in death. He was released after posting bail of $75,000.
Authorities are still investigating the crash but have ruled out that Hanson was under the influence of drugs or alcohol.