Saudi student dies after getting hit by car and people are shocked

In a tragic accident that has left residents in Saudi Arabia shocked, a nine-year-old student, Radhi Al Shemmari, was run over by a car outside his school in Ihsa'a governorate on Sunday. 

Speaking to Sabq news site, the spokesperson for the governorate's education authority said the boy was killed after being hit by a car as he crossed the road to get to school. 

She also added that the authority's head, Ahmad bin Mohammad Al Ghunaim, has ordered an immediate investigation into the matter. 

Both the authority and the kingdom's Ministry of Education also sent their condolences to the boy's parents and family. 

In a heartbreaking letter addressed to the kingdom's Minister of Education, Ahmad Al Eissa, Al Shemmari's mother called on him to take action to protect other children from facing the same fate as her son. 

News of Al Shemmari's death went viral on social media soon after it was first reported and continues to make the rounds online. 

Thousands reacted to the matter with shock, sadness, and outrage, while others called on authorities to implement stricter safety measures inside and around school campuses. 

"May God give his mom patience." 

"Is it possible that we have all this money and don't have organization when it comes to these things. All we need is a police car parked outside a school for a few minutes." 

"If these schools cared about their students, they wouldn't let them out of campus and wouldn't leave them sitting in the sun, sometimes for hours waiting for guardians to pick them up."

"There should be teachers on duty after school hours and they shouldn't leave campus until the last student there safely leaves the premises. There's a direct ministerial order that clearly states this." 

"The Minister of Education should be held accountable over this, not the school." 

"This is so heartbreaking. These children are our responsibility, parents, school officials, and drivers. Anyone who sees a child in need of help, should hold his hand and help him cross a road until they are sure he is safe. Providing safe transportation for students is of extreme importance. May God help this child's parents." 

"May God have mercy on his soul." 

On the same day of Al Shemmari's death, another tragic run over took the life of Saudi third grader, Rawan Al Rashid. 

In the accident's details, the girl was waiting for her school bus to pick her up outside her house in Barida. 

After it arrived, Al Rashid's sister got on the bus, thinking she had also gotten on the bus, then the driver took off and run her over. 

Seconds after the accident, the panicked driver carried the little girl back home and handed her over to her shocked parents who then took her to the hospital where she was later pronounced dead. 

Al Rashid's case sent shockwaves on social media, sparking outrage among many who are calling on the kingdom's Minister of Education to take serious action in the wake of the two fatal incidents.