‘What more can this poor mom take?’: Tragedy revisits Las Vegas family

Leah Churchill sprung into action once she received the news that her friend’s young daughter died Tuesday morning, less than a day after the girl was struck by a school bus in Las Vegas.

Haylee Ryan, 12, was hit by the bus while riding a bicycle near West Tropical Parkway west of North Emerald Eagle Street, Churchill said in a phone interview. As of Tuesday afternoon, Churchill’s GoFundMe digital fundraiser to benefit Ryan’s family had raised more than $31,000 of its stated $40,000 goal.

Churchill, a local nurse, said it was the least she could do for the girl’s mother, Meghan Ryan, whom she described as a longtime friend. According to Churchill, Haylee’s youngest brother had recently completed treatment for a brain tumor. She is raising funds now to support the Ryan family and take care of funeral expenses for Haylee.

“The worst things always happen to the best people,” Churchill said. “It’s like, what more can this poor mom take?”

The Metropolitan Police Department on Tuesday confirmed that a 12-year-old girl died after she was hit the previous day by a 2019 Thomas Built school bus in the same area described by Churchill but did not release the girl’s name. The Clark County coroner’s office was unable to confirm her identity and said it was still investigating.

Police said Monday that the bus was traveling west on Tropical near Emerald Eagle about 3:20 p.m. when it struck a girl heading the same direction in the bike lane. The girl was thrown onto a parked SUV, police said in a statement.

Approximately 55 students were on the bus at the time of the crash but they, along with the driver, were not injured, according to police. The crash happened near Lied STEM Academy, where Ryan was enrolled, Churchill said.

‘A loss for the entire community’

Haylee Ryan’s death marks the 124th traffic-related death in Metro’s jurisdiction for 2025, and it comes a day after 12-year-old Christofer Suarez died after being hit by a suspected DUI driver in North Las Vegas.

At an event Monday, Clark County School District Superintendent Jhone Ebert said 84 CCSD students have been hit by a car on their way to or from school since school started Aug. 11, compared with 39 students who had been struck at this point last school year.

“Right now, we need immediate action with the community’s help to protect our children,” Ebert said. “Both of these students had unlimited potential — potential they will never have a chance to realize. This is not only a loss for our students’ families and siblings, its a loss for their teachers, their classmates, it’s a loss for the entire community.”

Ebert said the girl who died Tuesday was enrolled at Lied was an artist, who loved to sketch and sing, and according to Churchill was the exact type of student Haylee Ryan was.

“She has just always been creative,” Churchill said of Haylee Ryan, who according to Churchill was the second oldest of four Ryan kids and an independent worker, which left her plenty of time to get lost in her art. “That’s just been in her since she was a little kid.”

Additional details about the crash have not been released. Churchill said it’s unclear at this point whether Haylee Ryan was wearing a helmet, but added she’s helping the Ryan family seek the answers to as many questions as possible so they can get closure.

Vigil, memorial pending

Churchill said services for Haylee Ryan are pending, but a vigil will probably be held in the coming days.

Even though some details remain unknown in that case, too, Churchill said she hopes the recent crashes will help raise awareness for pedestrian safety, particularly among children.

“I have so many questions,” Churchill said. “Because I have four kids, too. Meghan and I both have four kids, so I want to know what did Haylee do wrong, or what did the bus driver do wrong? How can we prevent this?”

Contact Casey Harrison at charrison@reviewjournal.com. Follow @casey-harrison.bsky.social on Bluesky.