There have been several cases in the past where children have suffocated to death after they fell asleep in school buses or private vehicles, mostly because of oversight by the drivers or conductors. Fortunately, in this harrowing incident from Sharjah, a four-year-old girl narrowly escaped a life-threatening situation without any harm after the school staff forgot her alone on the bus after she fell asleep. As per Khaleej Times, the girl was rescued after the bus conductor found her crying during the second trip. After the incident, the child, who was stuck inside the bus from 6 AM to 8.40 AM, fell ill and had to be rushed to the hospital for a check-up.
Following the spine-chilling incident, her mother spoke to Khaleej Times about the incident and revealed the details to warn other parents to remain vigilant and speak with bus drivers and conductors to look after their children. The woman started by sharing that ever since the four-year-old started going to kindergarten in the early morning, she was careful to inform the conductor about the child falling asleep.
“It has been a few days since she started going to KG1. She wakes up at 5 AM, and the bus comes at 6 AM. She reaches the school by 6.35 AM. Children who wake up this early may fall asleep. So, I make sure to remind the conductor to take care of her,” she added.
Recounting the incident, the four-year-old’s mother told the news outlet that on the day of the incident, the child boarded the school bus around 6 AM but didn’t reach her classroom on time. She went on to say that at 7:30 AM, the conductor called to inform her that her child fell asleep, was left behind in the bus, and couldn’t reach the classroom.
Elaborating further, she said, “I told him to immediately drop her home, but he didn’t. It was only when I called her teacher that she learned about the incident. We rushed to the school by 8.15 am, but my daughter hadn’t reached the classroom or school yet. My daughter said her head banged against the front seat. And as she woke up, there were all the big students, i.e., boys and senior students from the second trip. It was only when she started crying and the conductor realised that she was left inside.”
The mother recounted that the girl arrived at school by 8:40 AM, and the school tried to downplay the incident, saying she dozed off inside the bus. Recalling similar cases, the mother said, “What if another bus was operated for the second trip? They would have known only by noon during the return trip. We have heard so many unfortunate incidents. I cannot find the heart to send her to school until she is a bit older to look after herself. We are lucky to get our child alive, I pray no other parents or child undergo such a miserable situation.”
Following this, the family has withdrawn the girl from the school and filed a complaint to the local authorities (Child and Family Protection—Social Services Department).
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