Boy, 7, dies after being hit by school bus in Park Forest

A 7-year-old boy died Friday after he was hit by a school bus in Park Forest, police said in a news release.

The crash happened on the 100 block of Walnut Street about 3:13 p.m. while the bus was taking students home from Park Forest-Chicago Heights School District 163, Park Forest police said. The boy was seriously injured, and his family began lifesaving measures until police and paramedics arrived.

The Cook County medical examiner’s office identified the boy as Connor Kasmarski. He was taken to Franciscan Health Olympia Fields Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries, police said. Kasmarski was a Mohawk Primary Center 2nd-grader, school district superintendent Caletha White wrote in a statement.

”He was a joy to all of his teachers, kind-hearted, smart and funny; always with a smile on his face. He will be missed greatly by the Mohawk and District 163 students and educators,” White wrote.

The school district and the police department are arranging for counselors to be available over the weekend and at the start of next week for students and staff, according to their statements.

“The men and women of the Park Forest Police Department grieve for the child’s family and for the tragic loss of this child’s life,” the police department said.

The bus involved in the accident is owned by Kickert School Bus Line Inc., police said. Park Forest police are investigating the fatal crash with the Suburban Major Accident Reconstruction Team (SMART). The bus’s driver and witnesses to the crash are being interviewed, police said. The department said Friday night it was too early to say if any charges would be filed in relation to the crash.

Anyone with information related to the accident is asked to call the Park Forest Police Investigations Division at 708-748-1309.