April 23, 2024
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Three-year-old child killed by bus identified

The child, from Cary, was playing in the street when he was struck by a school bus Monday afternoon

By James T. Norman
A three-year-old child was killed Monday, May 16, 2022, after he was hit by a school bus near the intersection of Hill Street and Cherry Street in Cary.

A three-year-old child was killed Monday, May 16, 2022, after he was hit by a school bus near the intersection of Hill Street and Cherry Street in Cary. (James Norman)

The three-year-old child from Cary who was killed by a school bus earlier this week was identified Wednesday by the McHenry County Coroner’s Office.

Samuel Huddleston died of multiple blunt force injuries, an autopsy performed Wednesday found, the coroner’s office said in a news release.

Huddleston was described as “a little light of sunshine,” and was an “outside kid” in an obituary posted on the Davenport Family Funeral Homes and Crematory website.

He loved fishing, camping, hunting for Big Foot and playing at the park, according to the obituary. His cowboy boots were his prized possession, and he was a fan of historical figures such as Davy Crockett, Daniel Boone and Jim Bowie.

The crash occurred Monday afternoon when the boy was hit by a school bus while playing in the street near Cherry and Hill streets in a Cary neighborhood, the Cary police said.

The driver of the bus, who has not yet been identified, is on paid administrative leave and has completed post-crash testing, according to a joint statement Tuesday from Crystal Lake Elementary School District 47 and Crystal Lake-based Community High School District 155, which share transportation services.

The crash happened when the bus, carrying one student, was turning north onto Hill from Cherry and hit the child. Neither the driver or the student on the bus were injured.

The crash is being investigated by the Cary Police Department and the McHenry County Major Crash Assistance Team.

No charges have been filed, and if they are eventually, it won’t be for several weeks, officials with Cary police said Tuesday.

“We are deeply saddened by this tragic accident and our thoughts are with the family,” the districts said in the statement Tuesday. “We are cooperating with local officials investigating the accident.”

Huddleston had five siblings, including four older brothers and one younger sister, according to the obituary. He is survived by his mother and father, Rachel and Brandon, along with his siblings, his grandparents, and a large extended family, including aunts, uncles and cousins.

“Although the youngest brother, he was always helping and watching out for them often keeping them out of trouble,” according to the obituary.