A 75-year-old Las Vegas school bus driver who fatally struck a child riding her bike home from school was driving in the bike lane, according to police.
Haylee Ryan, 12, was killed on October 6 when Lorcesa Lewis, the woman behind the wheel of the yellow bus with 55 students on board, made the grave error on a busy parkway.
Video obtained by 8 News Now of the horrifying incident revealed that the bus was in the right lane before inching into the bike lane.
Cars were also parked in the bike lane, leaving Haylee little room to ride through and forcing her into traffic.
Footage from inside the bus showed the driver quickly accelerating from 14 mph to 25 mph. When she hit Haylee, she was traveling at 27 mph.
According to a police report, the bus struck one of Haylee’s bicycle’s handlebars, hurling her into an SUV parked in the bike lane.
Haylee fell to the ground, and the bus drove over her lower body. It continued down the road for 121 feet until Lewis finally stopped.
While Lewis has not been charged with a crime related to Haylee’s death, the police report indicated that she ‘did not give roadway space’ for the young girl.
Haylee Ryan was killed on October 6 after she was hit by a bus on her way home from school
Haylee was forced to move toward the edge of the bike lane because of parked cars as the bus inched closer to her
Haylee’s bike was seen on the side of the road after the horrific incident
Lewis was cited in 2022 for performing an unsafe lane change, according to 8 News Now.
This harrowing incident remains under investigation, the Las Vegas Metro Police Department (LVMD) told the Daily Mail.
The Daily Mail has also reached out to the Clark County School District to inquire whether Lewis has been removed from her position.
Haylee was a student at Lied STEM Academy, which is located along the Tropical Parkway – the roadway she was killed on.
‘To be honest, it initially made me feel a little bit angry, and I think this is a devastating situation for everyone involved,’ LeAnn Kramer, a family friend, reflected on the situation to 8 News Now.
‘I felt bad for the bus driver. I felt bad for the SUV that’s parked there. It’s most devastating for the family.’
At a vigil honoring Haylee’s life, her grandmother, Bev Jensen, said: ‘Breaks my heart that I lost my granddaughter, she’s just a beautiful person, she was a beautiful little girl.’
Haylee’s mother, Meghan Ryan, shared a tear-jerking speech at a memorial the day after she died, revealing that the past few months of her life had been filled with devastation.
According to her GoFundMe, Haylee had just celebrated her 12th birthday
Haylee, pictured cooking breakfast with her family, was described as a creative and kind-hearted child
A memorial in her honor has been placed near Lied STEM Academy, where Haylee went to school
Meghan said that since March, her young son, Haylee’s brother, had been diagnosed with brain cancer, and that her nephew was paralyzed. Meghan had also split up with her husband.
‘I just know that Haylee is with God right now, and that’s the only thing that’s keeping me going,’ the grieving mother said.
A GoFundMe was created to help cover Haylee’s funeral expenses and support her family as they grieve her untimely death. The fundraiser has raised more than $83,800.
‘Haylee Ryan had just turned 12 years old. She was a sweet, pure, and fiercely creative child, who dreamed of becoming an artist one day,’ the page’s organizer, Leah Churchill, wrote.
‘Haylee’s kindness and spirit touched everyone who knew her, and her family and friends will always remember her for her warmth and imagination.’
A memorial filled with stuffed animals, flowers and photos of Haylee has been placed outside of Lied Stem Academy.
