The victims have been identified by local outlets and GoFundMe pages as Zoe Davis and Arianna Pearson
Credit: GoFundMe (2)
NEED TO KNOW
- The two children killed in a Tennessee school bus crash on March 27 were remembered by hundreds during an emotional vigil a day later
- The victims have since been identified by local outlets and GoFundMe pages as Zoe Davis and Arianna Pearson
- “I just don’t understand how I’m going to come in on Monday and know that they’re [not] going to be there,” one student said
The two children killed in a Tennessee school bus crash were remembered by hundreds during an emotional vigil.
A day after the Kenwood Middle School students died in the March 27 incident, which also left multiple others injured, loved ones and local community members paid tribute to the children with a candlelight ceremony.
The victims — who have since been identified by GoFundMe pages and local outlets, including WZTV Nashville and Clarksville Now, as Zoe Davis and Arianna Pearson — were on a Montgomery County school bus when it collided with a Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) dump truck and a passenger vehicle.
Credit: Google Maps
Heartbroken classmates and community members visited Kenwood Middle School on Saturday, March 28, to honor the victims.
"I just don't understand how I'm going to come in on Monday and know that they're [not] going to be there," one student, M'kayiea Smith, told WZTV Nashville, as a parent, Xaviel Lugo, said to Clarksville Now, “My daughter saw one of the girls that passed away. … I just wish she never would have experienced that."
GoFundMe pages have been set up to support the families of Zoe and Arianna.
Credit: GoFundMe
The Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP), which is currently investigating the incident, told PEOPLE in a statement on March 28, "This investigation will be a lengthy process as our investigators continue work with our local, state and federal partners to gather the facts."
"We mourn the lives lost and hold those who were injured, along with their families and loved ones, in our thoughts during this incredibly difficult time," the organization added.
The THP has not officially confirmed the identities of the deceased children.
More than 20 students and five adults were on the bus when it crashed on March 27. Two adults were in the TDOT truck, and one person was in the passenger vehicle, THP Major Travis Plotzer confirmed at a later press conference, per WSMV 4 Nashville.
The outlet reported that air ambulance helicopters transported 19 injured patients to Baptist Memorial Hospital-Carroll County and four pediatric patients to Monroe Carrell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt in Nashville.
Director of Schools Dr. Jean Luna-Vedder said in a statement on Facebook, “A group of eighth-grade students and educators from Kenwood Middle School were so excited to be on the bus heading to Jackson yesterday to join other students from across the region for a weekend competition. In a moment, their lives and their families’ lives were upended.”
“As a mother and a lifelong educator, I cannot begin to imagine the fear and pain they continue to endure," she continued. "I ask that everyone pray and wrap their arms around these students, employees, their families, and the entire Kenwood community.”
Credit: GoFundMe
“Even amid an unimaginable tragedy and the profound distress each person was experiencing, the love and compassion everyone has shown for one another have been a breathtaking reminder of the power of community and humanity,” added Luna-Vedder.
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The Clarksville-Montgomery County School System (CMCSS) said in its own statement, "Our hearts are shattered at the tragic loss of two young lives."
"We continue to pray for the students and employees injured and everyone who was affected by today’s accident," the district added. "The Kenwood Middle community will need our continued support, and we will share opportunities to assist families as details are confirmed."
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