North Miami High Student Killed On Way To School

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MIAMI (CBSMiami) -  A North Miami Senior High student was struck and killed while on his way to school Tuesday morning.

"It's just sad. It's painful," said student Taikeishia Ragin.

North Miami police said three high school students were hit by a dark-colored car near the intersection of NE 7th Avenue and 135th Street around 6:30 a.m.

Sixteen year old Henry Toussaint died on the scene.

The second student, 16-year old Laura Perez, was rushed to the Ryder Trauma Center with traumatic injuries and broken bones. Her 15-year old sister Carolina was also hospitalized.

Laura's family and friends are by her side at the hospital where she underwent surgery.

"She's a good girl. She's like funny calm nice. She's always protective about me. She cares. I love her and hope she feels better," said Laura's boyfriend.

Classmates who witnessed the deadly accident are shaken by what they saw.

"The car came speeding all the way down the street," said witness Jelani Jackson. "I'm not sure if he saw the kids crossing but all I saw was bodies going up in the air."

"I  was shaking because I couldn't get my head around what had happened. To see my friends were run over by a car. It's tragic," said the victims' friend Joel Berthulien.

Grief counselors were called out to the school for support and Miami Dade Public Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho stopped by to console students.

Earlier, he expressed his sadness on Twitter after hearing what had happened.

Witnesses said Toussaint and Perez had just gotten off a bus and were walking across the street to their high school when they were hit.

The driver who struck the teens remained on the scene for police.

The teens were struck in front of a church. Its members formed a prayer circle for them in a nearby parking lot.

"My heart goes out and you don't think about it, you know, this could be your own child," said Sheila Jones.

Claude Toussaint rushed to the intersection when he heard that his son had been hit. He collapsed from grief when he saw Henry's body covered by a tarp in the middle of the road.

"Three kids. That's my one boy," said Toussaint.

"I just can't believe it, he did everything for us, I still can't believe it," said Toussaint's grandmother Karen Eady.

Henry's grandmother took care of him and said he was a good student. She said he worked to contributed money to her, his father and his mother in Haiti.

"He'd call his mom. His mom would call him. He said I don't got much but I'll send you this. He sent her fifty dollars," said Eady. "He just sent her thirty dollars last week."