5-Year-Old Student Falls Out of School Bus, Taken to Hospital

ALIQUIPPA, Pa. — A 5-year-old student was taken to the hospital after falling out the back of a school bus here on Friday, KDKA reports.

The incident occurred when the bus was stopped along Brodhead Rd. and Mill St., according to the news source. Police told KDKA that the student may have been leaning on the door and that another student pulls the lever on the back door.

The City of Alquippa and Hopewell Township Police Department’s responded to the scene followed by Alquippa School District's administrative staff and the student’s parent, according to a post on the district's Facebook page. The district added in the post that the student was taken to the hospital by their parent and was later released.

A witness at the scene of the incident, identified by KDKA as Jeff Smith, told the news source that he was in his car when he watched as someone apparently open the back door of the bus and saw the student tumble out, landing face down on the pavement. Smith added that he stopped traffic and helped the student, who he said jumped up off of the street immediately after falling even though he was shaken and disoriented. Smith also said that the bus driver had driven a short distance before stopping the bus when he realized what happened.

Police are currently investigating the incident, according to KDKA. Alquippa School District added in its Facebook post that the safety and security of all of its students is the district's “top priority” and that it “will continue to review all of its bus policies and procedures to ensure the safety of all students.”