An Oaktree Elementary third grade student escaped injuries on Wednesday Sept. 17 after her backpack became lodged in school bus doors during a routine pickup.
The 8-year-old girl was waiting with two classmates in front of the Rainbow Day Care Center on M-15 and Kipp Road. Her backpack became caught in the bus door, forcing her to ‘walk? with the bus nearly 10 feet before the driver was alerted by the day care owner and two other motorists to stop at about 8:15 a.m. The girl was not injured, however the parents were upset because they were never notified of the incident by school officials until much later in the day.
Rainbow Day Care owner Linda Stachelek, witnessed the incident and said she screamed at the driver alerting her that the little girl was not on the bus.
‘I can see the kids feet when they get on the bus from where I watch. I saw the two boys get on and her feet were still on the ground as the bus is in motion. I immediately started yelling for her to stop,? said Stachelek.
Stachelek said the bus driver was visibly shaken by the event.
After the incident, Stachelek notified the girl’s father who confirmed the school had not contacted him regarding the incident.
‘When my husband called me, I called the school and talked with the teacher, who knew nothing of what happened either,? said the girl’s mother. The teacher said he was horrified and upset that he wasn’t told.?
The two motorists, Marilyn Springsteen and Paula Degeneffe said the girl was clearly tugging at her backpack trying to free it from the bus door. Degeneffe was driving her son to school that day and was in front of the bus on Kipp Road. She saw the girl walking quickly alongside the bus when she stopped in front of the bus path.
‘I got out of the car and the driver was crying saying she didn’t see her. I’m thanking God that I was late to work that day because who knows how long she would have traveled with her alongside of it. I didn’t know if I even should have put my own son on the bus with the emotional state of the driver. I’m just glad the girl wasn’t hurt, it’s fortunate for everyone.?
The mother and the two witnesses, were contacted by Kathy Brandt, Goodrich School Distict’s bus dispatcher.
‘She was very rude, trying to chew me out for stopping in front of the bus. I tried to explain to her that I stopped to prevent the girl from getting hurt. I couldn’t understand why she was treating me like I did something wrong,? said Degeneffe.
On Wednesday the three students boarded the bus as usual by walking around in front as it stopped to pick them up, added Springsteen, another witness to the incident. ‘The driver must not have seen that she wasn’t on through the glass doors on the bus.?
‘I heard Linda screaming at her to stop as the girl was pulling her bag from the door.?
Dr. Jerry Lawrason, Middle School principal and supervisor for the bus garage, said the incident has not received a full investigation and that he would like to meet with the witnesses, the mother, the bus driver, and Brandt to clarify the situation.
‘I don’t have all the facts. Obviously it was an accident, but I need to know if someone did not handle it the way they should have.?