By BECKY KISER
Hays Post
The tragic death of an 8-year-old girl hit by a school bus early Wednesday morning in Wichita weighs heavily on Tim Greenwood, Hays Police Department lieutenant.
She died after darting into traffic from between two vehicles, said law enforcement.
How to prevent such accidents is something he and the other police officers talk about every year in the days just before school starts in Hays.
All Hays Catholic and public school students are back in class as of today.
Greenwood reminds drivers to "be extra vigilant because kids are unpredictable."
"They will cut between cars and aren't always the best at using the crosswalk," he said.
Parents and the adults in kids' lives should remind youngsters to stay off their phones and use the crosswalk.
"Show them how to make eye contact with drivers before crossing the street at the crosswalk," Greenwood said.
"But it's imperative that we as the drivers shoulder the burden (of watching out for the children.)"
Accidents such as the one in Wichita are tragic for everyone involved, Greenwood said.
"It's even worse when children are involved," he said, "so please pay better attention to make sure we're not having any vehicle versus child accidents."
Greenwood says the most important actions a driver can take are to "slow down, be alert, and stay off your phone."
The pedestrian fatality is under investigation.