SCHOOL BUS CRASH REPORTS 2007

Boy and Teenager are Killed in Two Accidents
February 21, 2007

A child, 7, was killed Tuesday morning as he crossed the street to catch a school bus.

Almost eight hours later, a man, 19, was killed when he crashed his motorcycle into a guardrail.

The first death occurred in northeast Parker County, the other less than 15 miles away, in Azle.

"Anytime you have a situation involving the loss of a very young child, it's traumatic," said Lonnie Seipp, superintendent of the Springtown school district, where Anthony Moss, the 7-year-old who died, attended school.

Anthony was waiting for the school bus outside his home near Reno when he was hit by a pickup driven by his teenage neighbor.

The accident happened about 6:30 a.m. Tuesday as the boy crossed in front of the 1985 Ford F-250, driven by Carl Williams, a trooper said.

Williams, 18, lives a few houses down the street from the Moss family.

"Anthony was in his mother's vehicle waiting for the school bus," said Texas Department of Public Safety Trooper Gary Rozzell.

As the bus approached, the boy got out and ran to meet it, Rozzell said.

Crisis counselors comforted Anthony's schoolmates at Reno Elementary School, Seipp said.

"Many of his classmates may not have had to do deal with anything like this before. It's a sad day for us," Seipp said.

Neighbors, friends and church members rushed to the Moss family's house to provide what comfort they could. By 1 p.m., about 25 cars lined their driveway and both sides of the road.

"It's a tragic situation, and it affects everyone here because this is such a close-knit neighborhood," said Efren Cohen, who lives across the street from the Moss family. "No words -- no matter how deep inside yourself you go -- can really comfort them."

Neighbors also said that their hearts went out to Williams and his family.

"I feel so badly for him," said Jim Porterfield, who lives between the two families. "But the [Moss] family has been very kind to him today."

Both families declined to be interviewed.

Rozzell said it did not appear that any citations would be issued.

"It just appears to be a tragic accident where a young man moved into the path of a moving vehicle," Rozzell said.

Motorcycle Crash

The 19-year-old Azle man, who has not been identified, was killed after he crashed his motorcycle on Texas 199.

The wreck was under investigation, but initial reports indicated that the man might have been racing a group of high school students in a car, Azle Police Chief Steve Myers said.

The man was southbound in the 300 block of Texas 199 about 2:30 p.m. when he apparently struck a guardrail, Myers said. Witnesses said the man was then hit by another vehicle. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

New of the crash traveled quickly, and a group of young adults converged on the scene, hugging and crying as police investigated.

"He was my best friend," said one man, who nodded when asked if he witnessed the crash. He declined to identify himself. "I was a couple cars back. I don't want to talk about it."

The southbound lanes of Texas 199 were closed but reopened about 5:30 p.m., a dispatcher said.

While emergency workers responded to the accident, a second crash occurred at the same spot in the northbound lanes. Myers said that accident was likely caused by drivers slowing to look at the crash scene. Those injuries were not thought to be serious, he said.

By MATT FRAZIER, and MELODY MCDONALD
STAR-TELEGRAM STAFF WRITERS

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