Boy Who Fell Out Of Aliquippa Bus Was Helped By Local Bystander
ALIQUIPPA, Pa. (KDKA) -- The 5-year-old boy who fell out of an Aliquippa school bus on Friday afternoon was helped by a man at the intersection.
That man, Jeff Smith, spoke to KDKA about what he witnessed.
Smith was in his car when he watched as someone apparently opened the back door and a boy tumbled out, landing face down on the pavement. Despite the fall, he said the boy jumped up immediately and ran towards him, although the boy was shaken and disoriented.
"When I was walking over to him, he said, 'Misterm mister please help me.' I said, 'No problem, buddy. I'm coming over, stay right there,'" Smith said.
Smith said the bus driver went a short distance but stopped as soon as he realized what happened. Meanwhile, Smith stopped traffic and helped the child get off of the street.
The boy claimed he was pushed out the door.
A parent of a child at Aliquippa School District said bullying on the bus happens pretty regularly.
"My daughter has had issues on this bus for as long as I can remember," Farren Giardina said. "She's gotten punched in the face, she's gotten hair pulled, tripped."
Police are continuing to investigate the incident while parents demand answers.
Smith said he is just glad that he was in the right place at the right time.
Like the parents, he is hoping something will be done to make the buses safer.