Two children killed in Roanoke backhoe accident studied at private Fort Worth school
As he rolled along a private road near Roanoke on Saturday evening, a man driving a backhoe caused the front bucket to dump, authorities said, and his two children who were riding in it fell to the ground.
The backhoe ran over the 11-year-old boy and 7-year-old girl, and they died at the scene outside their house.
The driver, Vijender Chauhan, 40, was arrested on suspicion of two counts of manslaughter, three counts of endangering a child and one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, according to the Texas Highway Patrol.
His children, Shivraj Chauhan, known as Raj, and Sonakshi Chauhan, were students at Trinity Valley School, according to an email the Fort Worth K-12 private school sent on Tuesday to the parents of all of its students.
“It is difficult to find the words to express the sorrow we all feel for the loss of our young students,” Head of School Blair Lowry wrote.
Counselors talked on Tuesday with grieving classmates. “Teachers, coaches, and administrators have provided opportunities for students to navigate their grief or to find solace in play or routine. We will continue to support our students in the days and weeks to come,” Lowry wrote.
The children were killed about 7:30 p.m. in the 1600 block of Chapel Hill Court. Multiple children and adults were riding on various moving parts of the backhoe when the Chauhan siblings were dumped, according to the highway patrol. Two other children suffered injuries and were taken to hospitals for treatment. An adult was seriously injured and taken to a hospital.
Vijender Chauhan was not injured, the highway patrol said.
This story was originally published April 6, 2021 at 10:42 PM.
