Photo: Kharisma James/Facebook
The start of the school year at Mary N. Tippin Elementary in Texas turned into a nightmare after a mother was killed while protecting children from a speeding vehicle, theEl Paso Timesreports.
Kharisma James, 33, died after attempting to shield three students — including her own two children, aged 6 and 7 — from an out of control car in the school’s parking lot on Monday afternoon.
“Basically, what we had occur is a driver that was pulling out of a parking space, he struck another vehicle,” Araiza told reporters. “When he struck that vehicle, apparently, it seems he became somewhat disoriented, he continued out into the roadway of the parking lot (and) he struck three children.”
Victoria Bruce, a parent who was near the scene and was a friend of James, said she immediately knew something was wrong when she heard the sound of the crash.
“You heard the metal crash so loud that you knew that something awful had happened. Everybody went running over,” Bruce toldKFOX. “I kept my kids back because I knew at that point there was nothing I could do and I didn’t want [my children] to see whatever had happened. You could hear people shouting is there a doctor or nurse.”
The El Paso Independent School District police department did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
Araiza emphasized that the accident is still under active investigation, and officials do not know yet what exactly lead the driver to become disoriented while behind the wheel. No charges have been filed at this point, Araiza added.
“It sounds like the driver was disoriented and confused,” he said. “We don’t know if the driver was having a medical issue. We just don’t know yet.”
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According to a blog post on theWomen’s Fund of El Paso, James is an eight-year veteran of the U.S. Army and served in Iraq during her tenure. After returning home, she enrolled in community college and worked her way up to earning a nursing degree while raising her two children as a single mother.
AGoFundMehas been set up to help the family and has raised over $3,400 from 98 donors.
While speaking to KFOX, Bruce said James “loved her babies,” and hopes that the community can recover from the tragedy.
“It’s just unthinkable that on the first day of school that this is something the children will never forget,” Bruce toldKFOX. “Walking into school, all of us, we don’t feel safe at a place. It shouldn’t have never happened.”
source: people.com
