SARASOTA, Fla. (WSVN) – A horrific incident occurred outside Booker Middle School in Sarasota when a mother accidentally ran over her own child while waiting in line at school on Monday.

Authorities say the mother was driving a large SUV when she struck her 12-year-old daughter. The incident occurred after the child dropped her bag and some items fell under the vehicle.

As soon as the child bent down to reach the objects, the mother could no longer see him clearly.

“Right outside Booker Middle School, a mother brought her child to us. The child bent down to pick up something he had dropped and the mother accidentally struck the child,” said Terry Connor, superintendent of Sarasota County Schools.

“She stopped immediately when she heard her child screaming,” said Kenn Watson of the Florida Highway Patrol.

The mother was in the right-turn lane in front of the school when the girl got out of the car.

The incident marked a grim start to the new school year, but authorities are urging other parents to take it as a warning to be more cautious when dropping off and picking up their children and driving in school zones.

“We are on day one and we have already experienced a tragedy. We hope this will not happen again, but we must remember to be oriented when we are near a school and especially when we let our child out of the car,” Watson said.

The rescue team flew the twelve-year-old by helicopter to All Children’s Hospital.

“This is a tragedy that could have been 100 percent avoided if people had just been a little more careful and taken it easy,” Watson said. “In this incident, the speed of the vehicle was not the cause of the injuries, it was simply someone in a hurry making an assumption. Hopefully the child will survive this incident.”

The young girl suffered serious injuries and is still in hospital recovering.

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