The start of the school year at Mary N. Tippin Elementary in Texas turned into a nightmare after a mother was killed while protecting children from a speeding vehicle, theEl Paso Timesreports.Kharisma James, 33, died after attempting to shield three students — including her own two children, aged 6 and 7 — from an out of control car in the school’s parking lot on Monday afternoon.James tried to “get the attention of the driver and intervene” by stepping in front of the car’s path and was hit, school district police chief Victor Araizatold reportersduring apress conferenceon Tuesday.The driver, identified as a 58-year-old man by authorities, had become “disoriented” after picking up his grandchildren at the end of their first day of class, a spokesperson for Tippin Elementary told theTimes. He allegedly stepped on the accelerator instead of the brakes while attempting to exit the parking lot and headed toward James’ two children and another 10-year-old student.“Basically, what we had occur is a driver that was pulling out of a parking space, he struck another vehicle,” Araiza told reporters. “When he struck that vehicle, apparently, it seems he became somewhat disoriented, he continued out into the roadway of the parking lot (and) he struck three children.”Victoria Bruce, a parent who was near the scene and was a friend of James, said she immediately knew something was wrong when she heard the sound of the crash.RELATED:Mom Dies While Shielding Teen Daughter as Their New Jersey Home Collapsed“You heard the metal crash so loud that you knew that something awful had happened. Everybody went running over,” Bruce toldKFOX. “I kept my kids back because I knew at that point there was nothing I could do and I didn’t want [my children] to see whatever had happened. You could hear people shouting is there a doctor or nurse.”Shortly after being hit by the errant vehicle, James passed away.The injured three children were transported to nearby hospitals and are listed in serious condition as of Tuesday morning, officials said.The El Paso Independent School District police department did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.Araiza emphasized that the accident is still under active investigation, and officials do not know yet what exactly lead the driver to become disoriented while behind the wheel. No charges have been filed at this point, Araiza added.“It sounds like the driver was disoriented and confused,” he said. “We don’t know if the driver was having a medical issue. We just don’t know yet.”RELATED VIDEO: Parents Killed, Daughters Seriously Injured in Car Crash During Their First Disney World Vacation