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A Maine kindergarten student was trapped in the door of a school bus and the bus dragged him nearly 300 feet before running him over, federal investigators said.
Simon Gonzalez, a 5-year-old kindergarten student at Edna Libby Elementary School in Standish, a small town about 17 miles west of Portland, died of his injuries on the morning of December 16, 2025. WMTW reports.
At around 8 a.m. that morning, the Bonny Eagle School District bus was parked in the southbound lane of Route 35. The state Department of Transportation said in a report released Friday.
A 7-year-old child boarded the bus at the station and was approached by a 5-year-old child. As the young students approached the bus, the doors began to close. The student then extended his left arm into the bus, where it was fixed after the door closed.
“The bus began traveling south on Route 35 and the student was dragged approximately 280 feet before becoming detached from the door, falling to the roadway and being run over by the bus,” the NTSB said. “As a result, the student suffered fatal injuries.”
Cumberland County Sheriff Kevin Joyce said there was only one student in the car at the time of the incident, Simon’s 7-year-old half-brother.
“This little boy meant the world to everyone who met him,” Simon’s grandfather, Jason Small, told WMTW.
His uncle Alex Moore added: “He had the most infectious laugh ever.”
No charges have been filed in the case.
Superintendent Clay Gleason told the outlet the school and district are “focused on healing.”
“Our thoughts and prayers remain with Simon’s family,” Gleeson said.
The National Transportation Safety Board said the bus driver and another student on board were not injured in the incident.
The National Transportation Safety Board said the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office, Maine State Police and the Maine Department of Transportation are investigating.