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CountGirl
Top Member
USA
823 Posts |
 Posted - 01/25/2005 : 7:50:33 PM
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I almost saw a kid get killed today.
I am most certainly glad I didn't.
Today while watching for any of my driver-friends to pull up (one in particular), I saw something I want to scream across all corkboards at my school to try to get a message across. Adventurous Bus #34 pulls up, she is the third bus in line for dropping and that's usually what we do [three buses dropping at a time]...#34 drops off her high schoolers, then proceeds to ease up through the line into space #2. She is still partially on the curve though [TAILSWING!] She taps her brakes and then pauses for a longer period of time, long enough for Lucky Kid #1 to notice "Oh hey, that's my friend on that bus!" Lucky Kid #1 runs over to the bus and bends his head at the friend, and friend lowers window and says something to him (probably "Hi"). Lucky Kid #1 and friend speak a few words hurriedly, that is when #34 does not have a bus in front of her any more (because bus in front of her has finished filling out weekly count) and proceeds to ease her bus around the curve and pick up speed as she does. After all, mirror check has been completed (let's just assume so) and there is nobody in the danger zone.
There is. Lucky Kid #1 came within one and a half feet of being hit by a yellow bus' tailswing and killed. The driver of #34 would never have known and did not know, because the kid was in her "Danger Zone". She only tapped and held her brakes for three or five seconds, and it was the next three that the kid kinda scuttled along trying to keep up with his conversation before backing up about another foot or so when the bus started really picking up speed from a creep to a crawl, and fully completed it's tailswing. [So the Lucky Kid #1 was out of the way when the main tailswing came through]...
Countgirl was watching, and Count could see it develop, and there was no time to try to stop [driver of #34] like Count did with Bug Bus and the skateboard incident, only enough time for Count to bite her tongue and restrain herself from screaming at the top of her lungs, "GET AWAY GET AWAY GET AWAY!"
That kid is so very lucky.
Countgirl is so very lucky.
Driver of #34 is so very lucky, although she has no clue.
#34 is also very lucky, and very good at keeping it's tailswing controlled until the DUMB kid is out of the way. |
Edited by - CountGirl on 01/25/2005 9:08:38 PM
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CrownBus1
Top Member
USA
633 Posts |
Posted - 01/25/2005 : 9:22:51 PM
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| I'm glad this all turned out okay, and nobody was hurt. I remember a couple years ago my principal was yelling at some kid on one of the buses, standing in the danger zone and came within a few inches of getting run over. If he hadn't jumped back so fast, he might not be sitting in that office anymore. Yikes! |
Bus 1
1985 Crown |
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bosslady
Advanced Member
USA
336 Posts |
Posted - 01/26/2005 : 06:44:23 AM
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If you know who lucky kid" 1 is, you could talk to the driver of bus #34 and tell her what happened. The kid should not have been in the danger zone at the bus stop talking through the window.
In our district, I would have the principal of the school call the kid in and talk to him about the danger of his behavior and give him a warning that it better not happen again. |
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CountGirl
Top Member
USA
823 Posts |
Posted - 01/26/2005 : 07:42:57 AM
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I don't know who the kid is. I know it was a boy and I think he was wearing a red sweatshirt, and his friend was mid-bus yesterday morning, but with 1800 students at our school, it doesn't help much. We do need a message about DANGER ZONES, though!
I should start carrying a camera with me.
Countgirl |
Give me a yellow object. Yes. Right now. I need my yellow chocolate, for goodness sake! |
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buslady-582
Advanced Member
USA
334 Posts |
Posted - 01/26/2005 : 4:04:53 PM
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That is scarey!! Yes, everyone involved was certainly lucky! I witness near misses almost daily at the unsupervised schools that I mentioned in some other post. (don't remember where)!
Your story reminded me of something that happened to my son before I was a driver. I was picking him at school, 1st grader, no one watching him but me. I was in my car and saw him coming down the sidewalk towards me. All of a sudden he reaches under a bus near the back wheels to grab an icicle! He virtually disappeared under there! I started honking and yelling and jumped out just as the bus pulled away. THANK GOD when I could see that spot again he was standing there! He did hear me honk and looked up and saw my car. I'm sure that saved him.
I was so shaken afterwards that I spoke with the principal and pleaded that something be done. My suggestion at the time was that the bus drivers should sound their horns before pulling away. That would alert/scare children away. Nothing was ever done but as I think about it....that's still not such a bad idea. |
Bus Nut
see my " Buster" #582
1994 BB TC2000 http://home.new.rr.com/buslady582/mybus.JPG
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coolbusdriver
Top Member
Canada
1509 Posts |
Posted - 01/26/2005 : 5:11:39 PM
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| if you have time to stand and watch what goes on , why do you not see if the school will make you offical monitor? That way you could do something about it and actually have autority and maybe get somewhere with teaching the kids more about safety at the bus stop. |
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CountGirl
Top Member
USA
823 Posts |
Posted - 01/26/2005 : 5:33:21 PM
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CBD, offical monitor? Cool, I would love that! The high school would not let me though, nor any of the other schools in the district (libility/not on staff/etc)....but I love your idea! Maybe I will speak to a school about doing that for a senior endevor!
Buslady, I like that horn honking. We have a no-honk zone in my town, but drivers honk before backing always, no matter where they are. [This honking includes when backing in the bus lot] I think its a good idea [yours] but I don't know if it would be plausible (because buses are always moving slowly and tapping their brakes around the HS)...
Thanks for all the support *hugs*
Countgirl (CeeGee to buslady  ) |
Give me a yellow object. Yes. Right now. I need my yellow chocolate, for goodness sake! |
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92FrdCarp#11
Top Member
USA
1455 Posts |
Posted - 01/27/2005 : 4:33:50 PM
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| My driver appointed me and a few other boys as bus captains. We help keep the bus under control and do some investigating. The reason I said investigating is because last week I told my driver that a seat had been cut and he was a little mad about it. He told my brother and a couple of other boys to investigate to find out who cut the seat and they did. We don't get paid to do it. We also let our driver know if someone cusses on the bus. It's fun doing it and we don't mind doing it since how it keeps us out of trouble and we keep other kids out of trouble. |
Johnny
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CountGirl
Top Member
USA
823 Posts |
Posted - 01/27/2005 : 4:50:23 PM
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Yup, that used to be my proud job, sounds like. I swept the bus too...and washed windows, and did counts....[that's how I got my name]...very cool, Johnny.
Keep staying out of trouble and setting good examples.  |
Give me a yellow object. Yes. Right now. I need my yellow chocolate, for goodness sake! |
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80-RE4
Top Member
USA
5700 Posts |
Posted - 01/27/2005 : 6:54:40 PM
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| Glad everything ended up to be OK count! Have you thought about talking to the bus driver and just maybe say that you wanted to give her a heads up? I would not be offended if a child came up to me and told me what almost happened. It would make me think twice the next time I pulled away from a school. |
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YardBird
Advanced Member
USA
427 Posts |
Posted - 01/30/2005 : 12:17:39 PM
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That's why we don't just do a mirror check ONCE.
I check 'em religiously and repeatedly anytime I'm in a place where people are or could be around my vehicle.
Very effective, but funny to watch a driver doing this.
We call it "rockin' and rollin".  |
Sure! I'll pick your kid up closer to the house... Widen your front door!
"I LOOOOOVE MY UNION!" |
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I almost saw a kid get killed today
