A civil trial against a former school bus driver and a Louisville, Kentucky, school district took place Tuesday regarding a terrifying 2015 video showing a 6-year-old being dragged by a school bus.
The video, released Thursday, showed a 6-year-old girl’s backpack getting stuck in the double doors as she exited the school bus, unbeknownst to bus driver Melinda Sanders, who began to drive the vehicle, dragging the child by a distance of at least 1,000 feet. After a driver witnessing the incident honked at the bus, Sanders noticed and can be heard saying “Oh my God, Oh my God!” as she rushed to assist the victim.
The child, identified as A.R., suffered from severe nerve damage, PTSD and has undergone several surgeries due to the incident, Wave 3 News reported. (RELATED: 5 Kids Struck And Killed At School Bus Stops In One Week-‘Distracted Driving Plays A Huge Role’)
The Jefferson County School District fired Sanders over the incident, according to the outlet. The child’s parents filed a lawsuit accusing the driver and the school district of negligence, Complex reported. The family’s attorneys accused the defendants of 16 integral bus-driving rules.
The school district trains bus drivers to watch students as they exit the bus to ensure their safety, Wave 3 News reported. Attorneys reportedly asked Sanders in the courtroom about the importance for all children to be seated while the vehicle moves since the video shows that students were standing as the vehicle was in motion.
“The loading and unloading of children is the moment of truth. Let nothing distract you,” said one attorney in court to Sanders. “What does that mean to you?”
“It means a lot to me, and I wish… that I had followed that that day,” Sanders replied. “I can’t take that day back.”
The attorneys are seeking an unspecified amount in damages from the suit, according to the outlet. The decision will be ruled upon by Jefferson County Court Judge Anne O’Connell.