A 5-year-old woke up and burst into tears after realizing he was the only one left on his school bus.
The child was supposed to be taken to an after-school day care at the Chambliss Center for Children, but the boy fell asleep and didn't get off the bus when it dropped students off Friday afternoon, WTVC reported.
Surveillance video shows him panicking and crying as he tries to get out of the bus. Eventually he found the right button to open the bus door and then found an adult to help him get home.
The driver was supposed to do a walkthrough of the bus making sure the bus was clear. The child center's director, Philip Acord said the driver, who had been with the bus company since 2016, did not do that, WTVC reported.
An employee at the school also was supposed to do a check. The teacher said she looked under the seats, looking for legs and bookbags, and didn’t see anything as the child slept, curled up in the seat behind the driver’s seat.
When the driver took the bus back to the parking lot, the person who was also supposed to do a check of the bus' interior didn't, Acord told WTVC. Video shows the driver end the route and leave.
The bus driver has been suspended. The teacher is on probation and staff at the Chambliss Center for Children will go through refresher training Friday, WTVC reported.
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