Stephen Hasner | | June 2, 2024
A middle school student from Bulloch County was transported to a Savannah hospital after jumping out of the rear door of a school bus while it was in motion. The incident occurred on the morning of Thursday on Veterans Memorial Parkway during the westbound route of the bus.
Bulloch County Schools’ spokesperson Hayley Greene confirmed that the student deliberately opened the emergency exit and leaped from the bus, an act that was caught on the vehicle’s surveillance cameras. The state mandates that the back door of school buses remain unlocked to be used in emergencies, and buses are designed to alert drivers if the door is opened while driving. Greene reported the sounding of an alarm when the student opened the door.
Responders on the scene included law enforcement, emergency medical services, and school district representatives. “The student received immediate medical attention at the scene, was first transported to a local receiving site by ambulance and subsequently airlifted to a hospital in Savannah,” stated Greene. The condition of the student was not disclosed.
In the wake of the harrowing event, support was provided for both the student’s family and the peers who witnessed the incident. Bulloch County Schools dispatched counselors and social workers, and an alternative bus was arranged to complete the transportation of the remaining students.
Source: Statesboro Herald