A Boston school bus driver is on leave after he allegedly dragged a father who was holding onto a bus mirror.
"I thought I was going to die," he told WFXT's Malini Basu.
The man's family said that he was waiting for his daughter in Mattapan Thursday afternoon.
"I physically got in the front of the bus and said, 'Please give me my daughter, I need to take her home.' He then pressed on the gas. I then grabbed onto the mirror. I was holding on for dear life," he said.
Video shows the man holding on the bus mirror while the bus is moving, and neighbors said he was dragged about two blocks. Neighbors are screaming "stop the bus" in the background of the video. There were five children on the bus at the time of the incident, according to neighbors. Parents then opened emergency door and got the kids off after the bus came to a stop.
The man said his daughter was on the bus and saw the whole thing. He said she was hysterically yelling at the bus driver, "that's my dad!"
Boston Public Schools said the driver has been removed from service and placed on administrative leave, pending the outcome of an investigation. He's been a bus driver for about 10 years.
"The Boston Public Schools does not tolerate any kind of behavior that places people’s lives in danger or compromises public safety," said Dan O'Brien with Boston Public Schools.
Boston police said they are investigating the incident and no charges have been filed yet by either party.
The man was taken to Carney Hospital, where he was treated for minor injuries and released.
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