Child Struck After Exiting School Bus at Unsafe Area

Case Overview

This case involves a child being injured while exiting a school bus. The plaintiff, a nine-year-old female, lived in a looped development, which had one entrance/exit for automobiles. School policy stated that all children were to be let off in front of, or as close as possible to, their home. The bus driver, however, chose to let the child off in front of the entrance to the loop and not in front of the plaintiff’s home. Despite being an active roadway, the child was let off the bus, and while attempting to walk to the sidewalk, the child was struck by a vehicle. She sustained a concussion, a broken leg, and three cracked ribs.

Questions to the Transportation expert and their responses

Is it appropriate for a bus driver to let a child off so far from the child's home?

A bus driver should not let a student off so far from the student's home, absent any extenuating circumstances. In most cases, the school has a policy like the one in place to prevent this type of injury. It is also the driver's responsibility to ensure that any area that children are let off is safe for them, and letting a child off at an entrance/exit to a busy development was negligent. The circumstances of this case need to be explored further, but it definitely appears that the driver was negligent and the school is responsible.

About the expert

This qualified highway safety management expert has had 30 years of experience in roadway transit and metropolitan transit safety management, and currently conducts annual safety observations of 150 drivers and manages five road supervisors.