YORKVILLE — A woman was struck and killed by a school bus carrying children Thursday afternoon, FDNY and police officials said.
The unidentified female pedestrian was crossing near East 93rd Street and Second Avenue about 3:30 p.m. when she was hit by a westbound bus, according to the NYPD.
The woman, who police said was in her 40s, was pronounced dead at the scene with a severe head injury, fire officials said.
Six children, ranging in age from 5 to 11, from St. Stephen of Hungary School on East 82nd Street were on the bus at the time of the accident, Upper East Side City Councilman Ben Kallos said. The school did not return a call seeking comment.
Kallos said his staff stayed with the children until their parents picked them up.
"Nobody should die from a traffic accident," Kallos said.
Freddy Alvarez, the resident manager at the nearby Waterford Condominiums, did not witness the accident but saw the gruesome aftermath and groceries scattered in the roadway.
He said that traffic barriers and equipment from construction on the Second Avenue subway line create a hazard for pedestrians and a distraction for drivers.
It is "very dangerous. They don't stop," he said. "The fence blocks the [traffic] light."
A temporary light was placed at the intersection when a stop sign failed to properly regulate traffic, Alvarez said.
"Even with light," he added, "people don't stop."
Mayor Bill de Blasio launched his "Vision Zero" plan to reduce pedestrian fatalities across the city. The mayor has proposed a series of "slow zones" with reduced speed limits to make neighborhood streets safer.
The driver remained at the scene and the police investigation is ongoing.
