‘Worst thing I’ve ever seen’: Man recalls comforting boy fatally struck by school bus in Boston

BOSTON — A man who ran to help a young boy who was fatally struck by a school bus on Monday is devastated by the horror he witnessed.

"I saw the kid lying on the ground and his female relative screaming‚" Nathaniel Thomas, of the city’s Hyde Park neighborhood, recalled.

Thomas had just returned home from work when tragedy struck on Washington Street shortly before 3 p.m. on Monday.

“I turned the kid to the side, tried to get him to let out some of the blood that he was choking on,” Thomas explained. “I got the ID from the bus driver and gave it to Boston police, and they came with fire and EMS.”

Police confirmed that the bus driver is cooperating with investigators, but the cause of the crash remains under investigation.

“The girl was screaming. The bus driver apparently ran over the kid. A trash worker said he saw him speeding,” Thomas added.

Parents who live in the neighborhood were saddened to learn the boy died of his injuries. All children on the bus were taken to the hospital for evaluation.

“It’s incredibly sad. My heart goes out to the family of the child. We don’t want that to happen,” Emily Duncan said. “We’re concerned about safety in our neighborhood. We want our kids to enjoy the playground and be able to walk to school safely.”

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Police said the boy had just been dropped off and was feet away from his home when he was hit.

Thomas said he’s shaken by everything that unfolded.

“It’s like the worst thing I’ve ever seen,” Thomas exclaimed.

City officials announced that support services will be made available for families, students, and staff.

Investigators didn’t say what school the boy attended.

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