Oklahoma City mourns 6-year-old Adrian Salgado after school bus accident
By Alyse Jones
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OKLAHOMA CITY (KOCO) — A memorial has been established in Oklahoma City to honor 6-year-old Adrian Salgado, who was tragically hit and killed by a school bus while walking home from Fillmore Elementary School.
The accident occurred at a stop sign on Southwest 51st Street, where Salgado attempted to run across the street and was struck by the side of the bus, according to police.
His friends remained on the sidewalk during the incident.
The community has been deeply affected by the loss, with people leaving flowers, toys, and notes at the memorial site. A note from Salgado’s best friend reads, “Fly high Adrian.”
Oklahoma City Public Schools expressed their condolences, stating, “Our thoughts are with the student’s family, loved ones, the first responders, and the entire Fillmore community.”
The district has provided dedicated counselors at the school to support students and staff.
Lea Campbell, director of clinical services at The Behavioral Health Center at Porter Health Village, spoke of the importance of allowing children to express their emotions and ask questions following such tragedies.
“You want to normalize a wide range of emotions. Grief is not linear; it looks different for every person,” she said.
Campbell advised using age-appropriate honesty to help children understand and reassured them that trauma often stems from uncontrollable events.
“It’s important to remember that trauma comes from things we have no control over, so allowing a child to lead that conversation means they don’t get more information than what they need,” Campbell said.
For those who witnessed the tragedy, Campbell noted, “There’s a lot of survival grief that can come along with that and can impact overall well-being.”
She encouraged families to maintain open communication, saying, “Reassure the child that I’m here for you, we work through things as a family, we can talk about these things, leave that open door policy.”
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Counseling services remain available on-site through Oklahoma City Public Schools.
Police have cleared the bus driver of any wrongdoing in the incident at this point.
A family friend has created a GoFundMe.
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