Boy killed, 2 siblings injured when car hits kids waiting for bus in Butler County

Sun glare is being blamed for a crash that left an 11-year-old boy dead and two of his siblings injured Monday morning in Summit Township, Butler County.

The fatal accident happened shortly before 9 a.m. on Pine Drive near Geibel Road, directly across from the two-story house on the rural street where all three children live.

An initial investigation found that driver Gina Kibbie, 38, of Butler was traveling westbound on Pine Drive when her car hit the three children along the roadway, Pennsylvania State Police said. The driver told police she did not see the children because of sun glare.

State Trooper Dan Kesten said Kibbie had “completely stopped” for the nearby stop sign and “wasn’t even going very fast, just never saw the children.”

The identities of the children had not been released Monday evening.

Kibbie knew all three of the children, officials told Tribune-Review news partner WPXI-TV. Kibbie works for the Butler Area School District, which the children attend.

Officials said they were not yet sure whether the children were sitting or standing when they were hit. There is no sidewalk separating the snow-blanketed field bordering the bus stop from the sloped roadway at the curved intersection.

The children’s front door is about 50 feet from the site of the crash.

The 11-year-old boy — identified by family members as Mark — was rushed by ambulance to Butler Memorial Hospital, officials said. He died shortly later. His name and cause of death had not been released by the Butler County coroner as of Monday night.

His brother, 6, was flown by helicopter to Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, where he was being treated for a “major injury,” state police said. An update on his condition was not available.

Their 9-year-old sister suffered a minor injury and was taken by private vehicle to Butler Memorial Hospital, state police said. She was treated for a broken ankle, WPXI reports.

About 4 p.m., some family members waited for updates at Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh while a hospital worker visited the house to console and provide support to other loved ones and neighbors, most of whom said they were still too shocked and grief-stricken to comment.

They mourned the child who died as a smart, curious and adventurous boy with a positive spirit and a big heart. He attended Summit Elementary School, about a five-minute drive from the bus stop.

“He was a brilliant kid, a little scientist,” family member Scott Rogers told WPXI. “He was always digging up bugs, looking at rocks with my kids. … He was always outdoors, doing stuff. Just one of the sweetest kids ever, which is why it is so tough.”

In a statement, Butler Area School District Superintendent Brian White said the tragedy left him “at a loss for words.”

“Any time a student passes, it is devastating and it impacts our entire school community,” White said.

School counselors have been made available to any students and staff in need of grief counseling or other support.

“The way our school community pulls together to support one another in the face of an incredibly difficult situation never fails to amaze me,” White said. “I’m grateful to the many people who stepped up today and will continue to do so to offer their support to all those in need.”

No further details were immediately available. No charges have been announced.

State police continue to investigate.

Jamie Martines and Natasha Lindstrom are Tribune-Review staff writers. Contact Jamie at 724-850-2867, jmartines@tribweb.com or via Twitter @Jamie_Martines. Contact Natasha at 412-380-8514, nlindstrom@tribweb.com or via Twitter @NewsNatasha.