West Virginia teacher dies after being hit by driver in school parking lot
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — A teacher in West Virginia died after being hit by a driver of a vehicle in the school parking lot.
According to WVNews, Liberty High School teacher and assistant football coach Ryan Lantz died on Tuesday after being hit by the driver.
The newspaper reported that first responders were called to the school in Harrison County at around 7:30 a.m. as students were arriving for the school day.
Preliminary reports, according to WVNews, indicate a student was behind the wheel, they were blinded by sunlight and did not see the educator.
Harrison County Sheriff Robert Matheny reportedly said Tuesday's crash appeared to be an accident.
"Tragic, but accidental," Sheriff Matheny told MetroNews.
The Harrison County Sheriff's Department is now investigating. The name of the driver has not been released.
Lantz was a graduate of Liberty High School and taught at the school for the last 10 years, MetroNews reported
In a post on Facebook, the Harrison County School District said:
"The Harrison County Board of Education is deeply saddened to announce the tragic passing of a respected teacher at Liberty High School, following an accident that occurred early Tuesday morning in the school's parking lot.
"The loss of the beloved teacher is a profound tragedy for our school community. Our thoughts are with the families involved during this difficult time.
"Out of respect, all extracurricular activities at Liberty High School as well as the Harrison County Board of Education meetings scheduled for this evening have been canceled."