Police: School bus carrying students involved in deadly hit-and-run

YORK, S.C. — Police and state troopers in York are investigating a deadly hit-and-run early involving a 77-year-old man Wednesday morning.

On Wednesday afternoon, officials said the vehicle involved was a school bus and that children were aboard at the time the collision happened around 8 a.m. on Lincoln Road.

Officials identified the man killed as Carlos Octavio Madriaga, who lived within a quarter mile of the scene. He was identified by neighbors.

Investigators said they knew a large vehicle had hit Madriaga as he walked in the area without sidewalks. Police checked all the city garbage trucks trying to find the vehicle before a mirror found at the scene pointed to a school bus.

Eleven high school students were on the bus at the time, officials said. The bus driver did not stop.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone involved in today's incident," Vernon Prosser, superintendent of York School District One, said. "Our District will continue to cooperate with law enforcement during the investigation."

A passerby stopped to help, as did a York Police officer who was on his way to work. That officer administered aid and tried to save Madriaga.

"We believe happened is the mirror struck the victim as he was walking on the side of the road, actually on the roadway," York Police Chief Andy Robinson said.

Prosser said the bus driver dropped off the students at school and only discovered and reported the broken mirror in a routine post route inspection.

"Some of our roads are narrow roads. With that case it could be you hit a limb and you report that," Prosser said.

Lincoln Road was closed from Congress Street to Hall Street for nearly three hours to allow Highway Patrol investigators recover as much evidence as possible to help track down the driver.

Officials have not determined yet if there will be any charges or if the driver knew what happened before he kept going.

Police have interviewed the driver and they're working to talk to all of the students on the bus to find out if they witnessed the accident.

Police do not believe drugs or alcohol are factors. The driver is off of the route and not driving pending the outcome of the investigation.

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