Advertisement Penn-Trafford boy burned by live wire; driver who asked him to touch it fired Patricia Ryan, 60, charged with endangering the welfare of a child Share Shares Copy Link Copy

A Penn-Trafford Middle School student was burned by a live wire after getting out of his school bus and checking on the fallen wire at the request of his driver, police said in a criminal complaint.An online docket shows that the driver, Patricia Ryan, 60, of Jeannette, is charged with endangering the welfare of a child and recklessly endangering another person. She is scheduled for a preliminary hearing May 31 in front of District Judge Helen Kistler.VIDEO: Watch Ashlie Hardway's reportThe wires had fallen onto the road after a goose flew into a transformer on the morning of April 15, according to a letter that the Penn-Trafford School District sent to parents.Penn Township police said West Penn Power was called to remove the downed lines and free the bus, which had become entangled in the wires on Route 130. Later in the day, police got a report that a student had gotten out of the vehicle and touched a wire before crews arrived to clear the road."It shocked me. It got me like right there, on the thumb," 11-year-old Tyler Cunningham told Pittsburgh's Action News 4.The boy's father, Bob Cunningham, said that Tyler was burned on his hand but was not seriously hurt.VIDEO: Watch Beau Berman's reportPolice said they reviewed interior bus video that shows the vehicle at an intersection of Route 130 near Walnut Street, with five students on board."The driver, identified as Patricia Ryan, can be heard speaking on the bus radio, advising that power transformers had blown and wires were down on the roadway. Bus Radio Dispatch can be heard advising the bus driver take Walnut Street to avoid the down power lines. The bus can then be seen proceeding past Walnut Street and become entangled in the power lines," according to the criminal complaint."Immediately after the bus stops, Patricia Ryan can be heard stating, 'You know what, can one of you get out and move that wire off of the ...' . A student wearing a blue T-shirt can be seen exiling the bus. Once (the student) returned, he can be seen holding his right hand. Ryan can be heard several times asking (the student) if the wire is 'live.' Approximately 20 minutes pass and Patricia Ryan can then be heard asking the victim if he is OK. Patricia Ryan failed to notify first responders of the bus company that a student had gotten off of the bus and touched a power line."School district officials contacted First Student and demanded that the driver be removed from driving Penn-Trafford students, according to the district's letter to parents.First Student has not yet responded to requests for a statement.The Cunninghams believe the driver should lose her license."What if she gets a job with another bus company and puts another child's life in danger?" Bob Cunningham said.___Full statement:"Penn-Trafford School District administration was advised earlier today of an incident that occurred this morning in which a wild goose flew into and struck an electronic wire system in Harrison City causing several wires to be disconnected and fall to the ground, resulting in a power outage. A school van owned and operated by First Student to transport Penn-Trafford students was in the area at the time of this incident and was obstructed by the fallen wires and became stuck underneath the wires. The Penn Township police and the fire department responded and were quickly on site. I, as District Superintendent, along with district administrators Brett Lago, James Bracco, and Jim Simpson, also responded immediately and were present at the site of the incident."The wires were quickly removed and the school van proceeded to transport all of the children to school. From the time of the incident and leading up to the arrival of these students at school, there was nothing that had been observed by those of us who had responded to cause a reason for concern. However, it was subsequently learned from the students who were on that van that while the van was situated under the fallen wires, and prior to the time any of the responders were on site, the driver asked if any of the students would be willing to exit the van to check the wires. One student elected to do what was being requested and did exit the van to check on the wires. Once this event was disclosed to Mr. Simpson, the building principal, he immediately reported it to me. First Student was immediately contacted and this incident was reported with a demand that the driver be removed from servicing Penn-Trafford School District students. All necessary steps have been taken to assure that this driver not provide services to the district at any time in the future.Dr. Matthew Harris"