ECISD bus runs over teen

An eighth grader at Nimitz Junior High School was severely injured Monday afternoon after getting ran over by a school bus on Odessa’s southside, school officials and witnesses said at the scene of the accident.

A boy, identified by friend Chris Nabarrette and other students as Alexis Fabela, was taken to Medical Center Hospital and later flown to Lubbock after he cq fell under an Ector County Independent School District bus that then started moving, running over his body.

MCH spokeswoman Amber Sweeny said Alexis was in critical condition, though Fabella’s cousin Christina Fabella said he was stable that evening by the time medics flew him to Covenant Medical Center in Lubbock. She also said it was a different bus from the one Alexis rode, though ECISD spokesman Mike Adkins and other witnesses said it was the bus Alexis got off that ran him over.

Chris, 14, said he and Alexis were playing on the sidewalk after getting off the bus when Alexis tripped on his shoelaces and fell under. He said bus 659’s right rear tire ran over Alexis’ shoulder and collarbone, while his face struck the pavement from the impact.

ECISD spokesman Mike Adkins said the bus driver, whose name he withheld, was taken off his bus route and will not be able to drive it until the ECISD and Odessa police departments complete their investigations.

The bus was at its second-to-last bus stop on its route, heading east on Laredo Drive at Del Rio Drive. Adkins said he was not sure how many students were on the bus, but the last stop was about two blocks away.

At the scene Monday afternoon, about 20 children stood around, keeping clear of a bloody shirt that was discarded on the sidewalk. A blood splatter the size of a grapefruit was seen in front of the bus’s rear right tire.

“I was watching and out of nowhere he just tripped,” said Shyann Ontiveras, a Nimitz seventh grader. “After that I just started crying.”

Marissa Carrascas said Alexis was still conscious after he was ran over. He kept screaming, calling another friend’s name.

“He said he couldn’t see and his face got red,” Marissa said.

Police and students gave conflicting descriptions of what took place immediately before the accident. Chris claimed he, Alexis and others were horseplaying with each other, but Adkins said police referred to it as a scuffle.