A young girl between the ages of 5 and 6 found herself caught in the door of her school bus after attempting to exit after school. The bus driver was unaware that her back pack became stuck in the doors and proceeded to drive at least 100 feet before a concerned motorist sped up alongside the bus in his Camaro and gained the attention of the bus driver. The bus promptly stopped and released the girl from the door while paramedics and police arrived to check her over.

According to Wave 3, the bus was part of the Jefferson County School’s fleet and was taking children home from Wikerson Elementary at approximately 4 p.m. on Friday. When the young girl, whose name has not been released due to her young age, exited the bus, her back pack became stuck in the doors as they closed. The bus driver was unaware that the young girl became lodged in the doors and continued onward to the next stop.

Metro shared that the young girl was dragged at least 100 feet, but individuals who witnessed the ordeal state that the bus drove at least the length of a football field while dragging the young girl alongside.

A man in a Camaro noticed the young girl being dragged by the school bus and sped up to gain the bus driver’s attention by honking his horn. The driver realized something was wrong and promptly stopped the bus.

According to police spokesperson Dwight Mitchell, the young girl appeared to only have received road rash from the incident, but was taken to Kosair Children’s Hospital to be checked over. A neighbor was on the scene and verified that the girl was in good condition.

“She was talking and, at the end, she wanted to see her mommy. I am thankful, very thankful [that she wasn’t more badly hurt].”

A resident, Tom Carman, caught the incident on his CCTV system. He could not believe what he was seeing and thought the worst.

“I just couldn’t believe he [dragged] her from the corner down to here without knowing. I couldn’t believe it – bouncing all the way down the street. It was bad.”

An investigation is currently underway to see if the bus driver is at fault for the incident. The young girl is lucky that her backpack was lodged tightly in the door. If it had come loose, she could have been dragged underneath the bus and suffered much worse injuries, including death.

[Photo Courtesy: Metro U.K.]