Mom Of Baltimore County Girl Dragged By School Bus Plans To Seek Legal Action
GLEN ARM, Md. (WJZ) -- The mother of a four-year-old girl who was dragged when her backpack became stuck while she was getting off a school bus said her daughter was harmed more than initial reports indicated.
Christina Lemaire told WJZ Friday there was a lot to the story that was not reported and she hoped to set the record straight.
The incident happened Monday afternoon as the girl was getting off the bus in Glen Arm and her backpack got caught in the doors.
4-Year-Old Injured When Backpack Gets Stuck In Bus Door, Driver Pulls Away
"She was dragged a short distance before the bus driver realized that she was still stuck on the door," Baltimore County Police spokesperson Jennifer Peach said.
Lemaire said her daughter was dragged for about a quarter of a mile, nearly to the next bus stop. She described students and other drivers trying to get the bus driver's attention.
"There were four vehicles honking, laying on their horns and the kids on the bus were screaming," she said.
Lemaire said the driver told her the girl was fine, but that wasn't the case: she was bleeding, had road rash and had to be taken to the hospital.
The girl is recovering now but has not been back to school since the incident. Lemaire said the ordeal has been very traumatizing.
"The eyewitnesses report her body going in and out from underneath the bus," she said.
Now, Lemaire plans to pursue legal action and hopes to see experienced and quality drivers working on Baltimore County bus routes in the future.
"I just want to know that they're this is going to change, that this isn't going to happen again," she said. "I want to be able to send my kids safely to school."
A Baltimore County Public Schools spokesperson said the investigation into the incident is ongoing and they're trying to determine if disciplinary action will be taken.