Community Mourns Child Hit and Killed by Bus

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – On the corner of Bloomfield Road and Virginia Drive, a small scooter rests in the driveway and bears line the fence just feet away from the Watson home.

The fence that was once used to keep 5-year-old Ta’Miya Watson away from harm now serves as her memorial. Classmates and the community are using the bears and balloons to remember the rambunctious little girl.

“It devastated me because that was a precious little child,” said Ann Yeomans, a community member.

On Monday afternoon, Watson was walking home from Barden Elementary School. She was in kindergarten at the school across the street from her family’s home. According to Macon Police, she was walking and talking with friends on Bloomfield Road when she ran off the curb and walked into the side of the bus. The Bibb County School bus was turning left onto Virginia Drive off of Bloomfield Road. The rear tire ran over her torso and Watson died from her injuries.

At the school, grief counselors went into the classrooms to assist the children in the tough conversations about Watson’s death. The scene of the accident is in walking distance of the school’s ground.

“It’s going to be something they have to walk by everyday and remember Ta’Miya,” said Steve Corkery, lead psychologist with the Bibb County School System, “but hopefully, there will be some good memories and the good ones will outweigh those.”

Officers took measurements of the area on Tuesday. The accident is still under investigation. For the family, the weight of her loss is still heavy. Ta’Miya’s aunt Veronica says just walking outside is a reminder her niece.

“By my sister living right across the street from the school, this will be the hardest thing,” said Veronica Watson, “to be right here where her life was taken.”