LOUISVILLE, Ky. (NewsNation Now) — New bus camera video shows the moment a 7-year-old Kentucky girl’s backpack becomes trapped between bus doors, leaving her dangling outside as the driver moves forward.
According to a lawsuit filed by the girl’s mother, the Wilkerson Traditional Elementary School student was left with both physical injuries, including permanent nerve damage to her left leg, and psychological injuries, including PTSD, after she was dragged more than 1,100 feet at a speed roughly 25 miles per hour.
It happened in 2015. Now, the mother is suing the Jefferson County Public Schools bus driver, coordinator of bus driver training and transportation director.
The case is in civil trial this week.
Warning: This video may be dificult for some viewers to watch.
The lawsuit alleges that the driver did not stop after several passengers and people in other cars noticed the girl dangling and screamed for the driver to stop. It also alleges the bus driver did not come to a halt until another driver “heroically” pulled their vehicle in front of the bus.
The lawsuit also states that the driver could not see the child in the side view mirror because a dashboard ornament obscured her vision.
The district fired the driver after an investigation determined she ignored training that required her to watch and make sure the child got off the bus safely.