An INSIDE EDITION investigation has found 31 incidents - including 2 deaths - of children being dragged by their school buses in the past decade.
At the start of the new school season, kids will be jumping back on school buses again – but parents need to be aware of a hidden danger of their child’s journey.
An INSIDE EDITION investigation has found 31 incidents of children being dragged by their school buses in the past decade. In two of those cases, the child was killed.
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In one incident, surveillance footage shows a first grader in Kentucky being dragged by a bus after her backpack became stuck in the doors. Thankfully, despite severe injuries, the seven-year-old girl survived the terrifying ordeal.
Safety experts question the door designs. To open and close the doors, drivers turn to their left to press an electronic switch, which means they look away from the door.
In addition, whereas elevator doors have built-in sensors to prevent riders trapping any limbs or belongings, this is not the case with many school buses.
INSIDE EDITION also carried out its own demonstration to see if a trapped child could be heard screaming for help above a bus full of noisy children.
The demonstration was held under the supervision of Kathy Furneaux and Peter Lawrence of the non-profit watchdog Pupil Safety Transportation Institute, and with the girl’s parents’ permission.
Read: 11-Year-Old Boy Left Home Alone With His Little Sister Shoots Intruder Dead, Police Say
“It’s inevitable that there will be a human error,” Furneaux told INSIDE EDITION.
The demonstration showed that eight-year-old Julia could barely be heard by passengers on the bus. She was also unable to get out from between the doors – raising concerns for child safety on the way to and from school.
Watch Below: Watch a Bus Driver Rescue a Toddler Standing in a Busy Road
