A seven-year-old child hospitalized in serious condition in Orne after being injured during a school outing

According to the first known information, the little girl found herself on the road when the bus arrived, after having probably been pushed during a stampede.

A seven-year-old child was taken to hospital on Thursday December 12 after being seriously injured by a bus during a school trip to Flers (Orne), France Bleu Normandie reported on Thursday. The accident took place as students from Joseph Morin-La Fontaine primary school were preparing to get back on the bus after attending a show during a school trip.

The exact circumstances of the accident remain to be clarified but, according to the first known elements, the little girl found herself on the road when the bus arrived, after having probably been pushed during a stampede. “It’s impossible to tell if she slipped or went onto the road on her own,” specifies the divisional commander of the Flers district, David Barbas, in charge of the investigation, who adds: “The only witnesses to the scene were children like her.”

Quickly taken care of by emergency services, the little girl was “alive but unconscious”, specifies David Barbas. The victim was airlifted to Caen University Hospital with a life-threatening condition. The other children were taken into care. A crisis unit was set up in the theater they had just left. “Each child was able to benefit from an exchange with a psychologist” specifies the mayor of the commune Yves Goasdoué who addresses his “thoughts of the little girl and her family”.

The police have opened an investigation to determine precisely the circumstances of the accident. “All means are being used to determine the circumstances of the tragedy,” continues David Barbas. “The videos will therefore be used, with the added difficulty that the bus partly hides the scene.” All the child witnesses, around twenty, were interviewed. The bus driver was taken into custody. “This is the normal procedure, specifies the divisional commander. He was negative for alcohol and narcotics”. On Friday, the school will be open.