Boy, 8, killed after being struck by van while walking to school in Oxnard

An 8-year-old boy was killed, and a 9-year-old girl and her mother were injured Monday morning when the group was struck by a van while walking to an elementary school in Oxnard, police said.

The two children and the woman, who is in her 30s, were in a crosswalk at Cooper Road and Anita Avenue near Ramona Elementary School when they were struck about 7:40 a.m., said Oxnard police Cmdr. Luis McArthur.

Parents and school officials were helping the woman and children when an officer patrolling a nearby neighborhood arrived. The officer performed CPR on the boy, who was in full cardiac arrest, McArthur said.

The three pedestrians were taken to a hospital, where the boy died from his injuries. His name was not immediately released. Authorities are still trying to find his parents. The girl and her mother suffered serious injuries but are expected to survive, officials said.

The woman has an agreement with the boy’s parents to walk with him to school in the morning because they go to work early, McArthur said.

The driver, a 17-year-old girl, was just leaving the elementary school after dropping off her sister’s children when the crash occurred. She told officers the sun was in her eyes and she wasn’t able to see the pedestrians in the crosswalk, McArthur said.

“She was extremely distraught,” he said. “From all accounts, it just seems like a horrific tragedy.”