A Long Beach family says a 6-year-old girl with autism spectrum disorder was injured when she walked away from a local elementary school last Friday and was struck by a vehicle.
The crash happened shortly before 12:30 p.m. Sept. 6 at the intersection of Anaheim Street and Termino Avenue, according to Long Beach police.
The girl’s family believes she walked away from Bryant Elementary School on nearby East Fountain Street attempting to go to her father’s house on Termino. Her father, Cecilio Serrato, died just over three months ago, according to aunt Betty Baxter, who said the family now has to pay for her niece’s medical expenses, including needed physical therapy.
Baxter blames the school district for allowing her niece to walk away unsupervised.
“I’m concerned that if things go on like this, there will be another incident like what happened to Isabella,” Baxter said. “We want change. We want reform. We want LBUSD to step up and really protect our kids.”
The Long Beach Unified School District was unable to provide details about how Isabella was able to leave campus and end up in the street.