Attorney Representing
Upstate New York Drivers

Tragedy averted as child survives cold night left on bus

On Behalf of | Mar 9, 2017 | Criminal Defense |

Things could have ended very badly last week for a 16 year old autistic child who was left on a bus last Friday night after the driver and bus monitor failed to see that all children were off the bus at the end of the night.

The night started without incident. The boy’s caretaker made certain the boy was picked up on the bus to attend a program in New Rochelle, New York, as he does every Friday night. But when he never returned home around 9:30 p.m., the mother became frightened and called 9-1-1. The weather was exceptionally cold that night, with temperatures dropping into single digits. Police spent the entire night scanning the neighborhood including the usage of a helicopter and bloodhounds, but to no avail.

The child was finally found Saturday morning at approximately 7:30am wandering the bus yard in Mount Vernon, New York. The monitor claimed that the child was dropped off at the home at the appropriate time, but that proved to be false when the bus’s GPS unit showed that they were never at that location.

Both the bus driver and the bus monitor were subsequently arrested and now face “endangering the welfare of a child charges.” Such charges are serious, and could lead to significant penalties including time in prison. For anyone facing criminal charges, it is likely in their best interest to find a strong criminal defense team to fight the charges. A successful team may be able to have the charges dismissed or even plea bargain reached down to a lesser charge.

Source: News 12 Hudson Valley, “Bus driver, aide face charges after autistic teen left on bus overnight,” Accessed Mar. 7, 2017

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