A mother accidentally hit her daughter with a car while dropping off the girl on the first day of school in Sarasota, officials said.
The 12-year-old was taken to Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg with critical injuries, according to a press release from the Florida Highway Patrol.
The incident occurred at 7:45 a.m. near Booker Middle School, 2250 Myrtle St., according to the release. The parent was dropping off the girl in the right turn lane on Myrtle west of Newtown Boulevard, the highway patrol said.
The girl dropped markers and pens while getting out of the passenger side and bent over to pick them up from under the car. Then the parent started driving forward and struck her, the highway patrol said.
An investigation is ongoing.
The Sarasota County School District encourages drivers to use the designated pickup and drop-off zones on school campuses.
