7-Year-Old Disabled Girl Dies After Being Found Unresponsive on School Bus

A Cincinnati family is demanding answers after a 7-year-old girl with cerebral palsy was found unresponsive on her school bus and later died at the hospital.

Ngone Talla, a student at Roselawn Condon School, died Wednesday after being discovered motionless in her wheelchair following the ride home from school.

Her family says the bus arrived outside their home around 5 p.m. and remained there for several minutes before Ngone’s 12-year-old sister went outside and found her unresponsive.

Ngone was rushed to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

Local sources told FOX19 that Ngone had become stuck in a seat belt while on the bus, but officials have not said that the restraint caused her death.

Hamilton County Coroner Dr. Lakshmi Sammarco said there were no obvious traumatic injuries and that Ngone’s death currently appears to be natural.

The coroner also noted that the child had an extensive medical history, including cerebral palsy, and said the case remains under review.

Ngone’s family, however, says they still have major questions about what happened during the roughly 90-minute ride home.

Her father, Abdoula Talla, told WCPO that relatives do not understand why emergency crews were not called before the bus reached their house.

Ngone’s sister, Marema, said she found the girl not breathing when she went outside.

The family also said Ngone was nonverbal, used a wheelchair and depended on others for her care.

They are now asking what happened during the ride and whether anyone noticed that she was in distress.

First Student, the company operating the bus, confirmed that a student died aboard one of its vehicles and said it is cooperating with local authorities and Cincinnati Public Schools.

“We are fully cooperating with the local authorities and the Cincinnati Public School district as they conduct a thorough investigation,” the company said.

Cincinnati Public Schools also acknowledged the tragedy, saying the district was grieving the loss of a Roselawn Condon student.

The district said its Crisis Response Unit was being made available to support students and employees affected by the child’s death.

Ngone’s death has also shaken Cincinnati’s Senegalese community, where her family is well known.

Relatives and community members have reportedly gathered around the family as they wait for more information.

For now, the biggest question remains unanswered.

Investigators have not publicly determined exactly what caused Ngone to become unresponsive on the bus, and there has been no official finding that the seat belt was responsible for her death.

That distinction will be critical as the coroner, school district and transportation company continue reviewing what happened.