Maryland community mourns 11-year-old girl killed in school bus crash

ASPEN HILL, Md. (DC News Now) — It was a difficult Friday night for families in Maryland attending a vigil honoring an 11-year-old girl killed by a school bus Thursday in Montgomery County.

About 100 people gathered to remember Summer Lim.

Without speaking a word, hugs between friends and family brought a sense of comfort to a grieving community.

She was biking home from Earle B. Wood Middle School on Thursday afternoon, heading east on Bauer Drive, when police say a bus going the same direction turned right onto Russet Road and killed her.

At the Church of Christ at Manor Woods, Lim’s family grieved, surrounded by a community wanting to stand with them through prayer and song.

“I’m not one to give into tears very easily, but because it connects so closely with my own, my own family, my daughter being 12 years old, it’s one of those things that it hits a lot harder than you would expect,” said Senior Pastor Carl Sweatman.

It was a sort of communal grief counseling for adults and children, with therapy dogs available after the service.

“What we need now is at the very least a consolation, and knowing that there is going to be hope, there’s going to be relief. And we need to start there. And then once we find that, then we can deal with the harder questions,” Sweatman said.

Montgomery County police said it could take several weeks or longer for the full investigation to be completed by detectives.