A two-year-old girl died at Salelologa, Savai'i after she was hit by a bus, despite the truck swerving to the roadside to avoid hitting her. 

The road accident occurred Tuesday when the bus was doing its routine service, picking up and dropping off passengers.

Savai'i resident Michelle Mcfall, who claims she is a sister-in-law of the driver, told the Samoa Observer that they are shocked as he has been driving for over 30 years and advocated for child safety every time he was on the road. 

“Every morning, he would always pick up the children on the road on their way to school, and everyone in our village knows that because he is very scared of these kinds of accidents especially losing the children,” she said.

An eyewitness at the scene of the road accident, who refused to be identified, said the bus ran off the road and into the bush when the driver tried to avoid hitting the girl. 

The Police did not return phone calls by the Samoa Observer seeking to confirm the fatality. However, Ms. Mcfall said her brother-in-law was taken into custody at the Tuasivi Police Station for 24 hours.