5 year old Jenean Richardson was left alone on a school bus in the cold and dark for a couple of hours after she was meant to have been dropped off at home in Clarendon, South Carolina. Apparently the driver of the bus failed to follow standard procedure, which dictates that the aisles be checked before leaving the vehicle. Jenean was unable to get out of the bus and screamed for help.
Fortunately, three nearby students heard her screams and rescued her from the bus, giving her juice and an orange while waiting for the authorities to show up. Two and a half hours later than she was meant to have been home, she was finally delivered to her mother Kelly Silver. “I asked her what was she screaming. She said, ‘Mommy, Mommy help me,’”says Silver. “I wasn’t there to help her.” There is currently no mention of what the District is considering as a reprimand of the driver, but they have apologized for the situation.
When these things happen, it’s difficult to see the bigger picture. Clearly, a mistake was made that could have been extremely costly to all involved; Jenean was found by people who were kind enough to help her, but not all people are so compassionate. And if she hadn’t been found, she would have spent a night in a freezing cold vehicle, and it’s possible that she might not have survived. Fortunately, she managed to make it out after suffering discomfort and fright, but as she herself says “I’m scared, and I don’t want to go to school no more.” This could absolutely have been avoided by the proper application of some common sense. Let’s remind ourselves that safety rules are in place for this very reason, and that we should treat our jobs with the seriousness they deserve. What might seem like a trivial event — the skipping of one small part of a routine — can have devastating consequences.
