Mom Killed by Big Rig 'Heroically' Saved Daughter, School Official Says

A woman died today at a hospital after being struck by a big rig while crossing a street with her 9-year-old daughter near  Le Conte Middle School in Hollywood.

The girl was also taken to a hospital, where she was treated for minor injuries, said Erik Scott of the Los Angeles Fire Department.

The pair were in a crosswalk in the 1300 block of Bronson Avenue when they were struck by the southbound truck at about 7:45 a.m., said Officer Wendy Reyes of the Los Angeles Police Department's Media Relations office.

The trucker stopped at the scene. He was questioned by police and released pending further investigation of the accident.

The mother, whose name was not immediately released, was accompanying her daughter to Citizens of the World Charter School, which is on the campus of Le Conte Middle School.

Erica Lepping of the Citizens of the World Charter School said the mother “heroically saved her child.”

“Our school is committed to doing everything we can to help the family and all of our children get through this difficult time,” she said. “We are setting up opportunities for the community to support the family in need, providing crisis counselors to all of our children and working with police and the city to ensure that all measures are taken to enable students and their families to have the safest possible routes to school. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family.”

Commuters told news crews that morning traffic around the neighborhood was typically congested.

--City News Service