STONEHAM, Mass. (AP) – Parents and children met with grief counselors Saturday at the school where a man plowed his car into a crowd and injured 12 people, including one child who remained in critical condition and another whose leg was amputated.
Six people remained hospitalized Saturday after a car driven by Enrico Caruso, 65, hopped the curb outside Central Elementary school Friday and pinned children and adults against a concrete wall.
Police chief Gregory O’Keefe said Saturday that police were still investigating what caused Caruso to lose control of the car, and no charges were filed against Caruso.
“That’s not saying further investigation won’t bring forward any charges,” he said.
Caruso is an amputee who wears a prosthetic on his right leg, but it was unknown if that contributed to the accident.
Among the most seriously injured was 6-year-old Jonathan Schores, who was listed in critical condition at Tufts New England Medical Center’s Floating Hospital for Children, hospital spokeswoman Melissa McPherson said Saturday.
At Massachusetts General Hospital, doctors amputated 5-year-old David Eustace’s leg, The Boston Globe reported, quoting Eustace’s father, Paul Eustace. His son has a “50-50” chance of losing the other leg, Paul Eustace told the paper in Saturday’s editions. He also said his daughter Nicole, 3, who was with her mother to pick his son up at school, suffered a fractured eye socket.
A call to Paul Eustace on Saturday was not immediately returned.
A spokeswoman at Massachusetts General Hospital said two children were listed in fair condition and one adult and one child were listed in serious condition Saturday morning. She declined to identify any victims.
A sixth person, a 3-year-old girl, remained hospitalized Saturday at Winchester Hospital, where she was held overnight for observation, according to a hospital spokesman.
The crash occurred at about 3 p.m., when parents and children were leaving school for the day. Injured and bloodied children were carried from the scene on stretchers as parents tried to comfort their shaken children.
Caruso’s license was immediately revoked after the accident.
A woman who answered the phone at Caruso’s residence Saturday said he wasn’t home and immediately hung up.
Superintendent of Schools Joseph Connelly said officials plan to open school as usual on Monday. He said he didn’t foresee any changes to the student pick-up and drop-off system.
“The pick-up and drop-off procedure we have in place was not the cause of this accident,” he said.
Connelly said about 40 grief counselors were on hand Saturday to help a steady stream of parents, students and staff. The school has about 390 student in grades pre-K through 5 and about 60 staff members.
“There is definite sadness in the building, but the fact that everybody has come together as a community is helping all of us,” he said.
On Saturday morning, Stoneham resident Michelle Richards, 43, visited the school to announce the establishment of a fund at Stoneham Savings Bank to help families of the victims. Richards said her 3-year-old daughter, Taylor, was killed 11 years ago when an elderly driver veered onto her front lawn. An emotional Richards said Friday’s accident brought back painful memories.
The fund is intend to help the families pay for household expenses, as well as for little things such as making sure the kids have their favorite cereal, Richards said.
“I know what their life is going to be like in the long run,” she said.
AP-ES-10-02-04 1346EDT
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