Ngone Talla, a 7-year-old student with disabilities, was found unresponsive in her wheelchair after the bus arrived at her home
Credit: Raymond Boyd/Getty
NEED TO KNOW
- Authorities are investigating after a 7-year-old girl was found unresponsive on a school bus in Ohio on Wednesday, Sept. 16
- Ngone Talla, a 7-year-old student with disabilities, was found unresponsive in her wheelchair after the bus arrived at her home
- The coroner’s office shared that Talla did not have any traumatic injuries at the time of her death, and Cincinnati Public Schools and the bus contractor said that they were cooperating with the investigation
Authorities are investigating after a 7-year-old girl with disabilities died while on a school bus in Ohio.
Police in Cincinnati were first called to Colerain Avenue at around 5:30 p.m. local. time on Wednesday, Sept. 16, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer, WKRC and WLWT.
On Thursday, Sept. 17, the Hamilton County Coroner’s Office identified the girl as 7-year-old Ngone Talla, a student at Roselawn Condon School. Talla’s family told WLWT that she was discovered unresponsive in her wheelchair when the bus arrived at their home.
According to the coroner’s office, Talla did not have any traumatic injuries at the time of her death.
“She became unresponsive in her wheel chair on the bus, but she has extensive medical history including cerebral palsy,” the coroner’s office said in a statement, per WLWT. “There was nothing traumatic and no injuries were related to the death.”
Credit: Google Maps
Speaking with WLWT, Talla’s family said that they noticed the school bus sitting outside the home for about 10 minutes on the day of the incident.
The family shared that they usually see the back doors of the bus open for her wheelchair ramp. When they saw that the doors hadn’t opened, they went outside to see what was going on, and that’s when they found her unresponsive.
NEED TO KNOW
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
“We went on the bus and I see my sister unresponsive and lifeless,” Binetou Talla, Ngone’s sister, told the outlet. “So I’m there, I’m mad. I’m yelling in the bus. I’m like, okay, how did this happen?”
“The driver and a second person, they’re supposed to just watch carefully, the kids, because you can not have these kids in this bus and you’re not watching them,” added Ngone’s father, Abdoul Talla. “And it was really hot yesterday, and I don’t know what’s going on. And I’m waiting for the investigation to let us know what’s happened.”
In a statement shared with local media, Cincinnati Public Schools confirmed that Talla was a student in the district.
“Cincinnati Public Schools is grieving the loss of a student from Roselawn Condon School who died yesterday,” the district wrote. “Our hearts are with her family and everyone who knew and loved her. This is an unimaginable loss for them and a heartbreaking day for the Roselawn Condon community.”
The district added that its crisis response unit is now working to support students and employees.
Additionally, First Student — a private contractor that provides student transportation services — told PEOPLE in a statement that it was cooperating with local authorities and the Cincinnati Public School District amid the death investigation.
“We are deeply saddened by the death of a student in Cincinnati and are fully cooperating with local authorities and the school district on conducting a thorough investigation,” First Student said in its statement. “Out of respect for everyone involved and because this is an active investigation, we cannot provide additional details at this time. Our thoughts and prayers are with the student’s family at this time.”
The Cincinnati Police Department is conducting a death investigation, a police spokesperson told PEOPLE.
PEOPLE has reached out to the Hamilton County Coroner’s Office and Cincinnati Public Schools for further information.
Read the full article here