GIBBSTOWN, NJ — Federal officials said the driver of a school bus in Gibbstown was making a right turn as two kids crossed the street, leading to the death of a 7-year-old boy on May 8.
According to a preliminary report released by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) on Thursday, 28 kindergarten through fifth-grade students from Broad Street Elementary School were on board at the time.
At around 3:40 p.m., the 48-year-old driver with Holcomb Bus Services was traveling north down Bennett Street before stopping at the intersection with Ashton Drive to unload students.
The boy and a 10-year-old girl got off the bus and walked north on the sidewalk to the corner of Bennett and Ashton where they stopped.
The two then began to cross Ashton Drive.
The bus moved forward, made a right turn onto Ashton, and hit Hunter Smith.
Officers and residents provided aid to Smith before he was flown to Cooper Hospital, where he later died.
The bus driver, passengers, and the girl who was walking alongside Hunter were not injured.
No charges have been announced, and the crash is still being reviewed.
According to ABC, the driver began with Holcomb in 2024 and had no reported issues. Holcomb is also conducting an internal review of the crash.
The "love, joy, and light he brought into the lives of those around him will last forever," Hunter's obituary reads, "a happy, loving little boy with an infectious smile that could brighten any room...a playful spirit, a contagious laugh, and a heart bigger than most."
RELATED COVERAGE: Child Fatally Struck By School Bus In South Jersey
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