The Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office released the name of the Bonny Eagle School District bus driver who was behind the wheel on Tuesday when a bus tragically struck and killed 5-year-old Simon Gonzalez in Standish.
[RELATED: Child Killed in Crash With Bonny Eagle School Bus in Standish…]
The Sheriff’s Department identified the driver as Lori Ann Merrifield, 64. According to her Facebook page, Merrifield has been working as a bus driver for the district for 25 years, since December 2000.
Gonzalez, a kindergarten student at Edna Libby Elementary School, was pronounced dead at the scene. His half-brother was the only other student on the bus at the time of the tragic crash.
Police have not provided additional information on the cause of the crash, and it remains under investigation by the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigation Division, the Maine State Police Reconstruction Unit, and the Commercial Motor Vehicle Unit.
They stated that more information will be released as it becomes available.
The school district also released a follow-up statement, saying that counselors were made available for students, families, and staff affected by the tragedy.
“In a show of care and support for students and drivers, additional staff members rode buses with our drivers for all bus runs on Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday afternoon, as well as Wednesday morning for Standish Schools. We will be continuing this practice with buses serving Edna Libby students on Thursday morning,” said Superintendent Clay Gleason.
Gleason said that Merrifield has been placed on administrative leave, as is standard practice while an investigation is underway. The administrative leave does not indicate that Merrifield is believed to be at fault in the crash.
“While I can’t share specifics related to this case, it is standard protocol that any employee would be put on administrative leave while an investigation is underway,” he said.
A friend of the Gonzalez family has started a GoFundMe fundraising page for the bereaved parents. As of Wednesday afternoon, the page has raised nearly $46,000 of a $40,000 goal.
