LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A 10-year-old child killed in an e-scooter collision on Thursday has been identified as a student at Cortez Elementary School.
The collision involving a pickup truck left the 10-year-old child dead and another 9-year-old child with non-life-threatening injuries, police said previously. Both children were riding an e-scooter near Butternut and Charnut lanes when the collision happened at 2:37 p.m.
Police said the driver of the pickup truck remained at the scene of the crash and did not show signs of impairment.
Watch | Ryan Ketcham reports from the scene of the crash on Thursday night:
In a letter to Cortez Elementary School students, Principal Lin Soriano wrote that school administration is "working to ensure that our students and staff have the support and resources they need," and that counseling resources would be provided.
A GoFundMe fundraising page organized by the student's mother identified the child as a fifth-grade student.
Portia Wales, the child's mother, writes that she currently lives in North Las Vegas but is asking for help to bring her son's body "back home" to Chicago, Illinois.
Channel 13 stopped by Cortez Elementary to speak with parents and get their reaction to the tragic incident – one of them was Britanie Gerard, who said she has four boys who attend the school.
WATCH | Guy Tannenbaum speaks to Cortez Elementary parents after the incident
“A lot of people speed through here, not really paying attention to kids getting out of the way," Gerard said.
Gerard told Channel 13 she was saddened to hear that a Cortez student was killed and another was injured while they were riding an E-scooter, but shared that it highlights the importance of talking to her children about road safety, especially when it comes to riding E-bikes and E-scooters.
"They're just as important as telling your kids 'don't go with strangers,' because they're kids, they're learning, they don't understand," Gerard said. "They're just considering themselves playing, they're not considering what dangers could be around them beforehand, or the possibility of what could happen."
This marks the 130th traffic death in Metro Police's jurisdiction this year – officers are pleading with parents to talk to their kids about how to be safe riding electric scooters and bikes, helping them understand they still need to follow the rules of the road and the dangers the vehicles present.
New data from CCSD Police shows about 35% of students hit by cars this school year have involved E-bikes or E-scooters, which is why parents like Britanie Gerard say it's on all of us to help reverse this disturbing trend.
“I think it’s equal on both sides," Gerard said. "The kids just kind of jump out in the street, some don't have parents that are picking them up, some of them don't have the common knowledge to look both ways, and a lot of cars aren't stopping or slowing down for them. They expect the kids to see them and stop, and that's not normal."
Back at school, Principal Soriano advised parents to monitor signs of grief or behavioral changes in their children and to keep lines of communication open with them.
"It is important to be honest with your child and allow them to express feelings of disbelief, anger, and/or grief," Soriano stated. "Reassure your child that there is always someone with whom they can talk and that these feelings are normal."
Soriano also echoed the words of Las Vegas Metropolitan Police in reminding drivers to "please use extreme caution when driving near schools and areas where students travel to and from school."
In a public statement about the ongoing investigation, Lt. Cody Fulwiler also called on parents to talk to their kids about the rules of the road and the potential dangers of e-bikes and e-scooters.
The collision comes a month after another young child was killed while riding an e-scooter. Fulwiler said these incidents need to be addressed, and it will take everyone in our community to prevent future loss of young lives on our streets.
"This community, I know, is tired of seeing young children killed on our roadways," Fulwiler said. "And most of all, the families that have been affected by these tragedies never wanted it to happen, and most importantly, don't want it to happen again."
Channel 13 reached out to CCSD to see how they're working with Metro on this problem. The district responded, telling us all local municipalities and law enforcement agencies in Clark County are working together to address this issue, creating a "School Traffic Safety Working Group" earlier this year, to help find ways to better protect students.