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Last updated on Tuesday, August 27, 2013
(GIBSON CO.) - Parents of a Tri-State student say their son’s bus driver left him in the middle of the road unconscious.
WFIE reports, those parents say it happened last week, but they tell us that more needs to be done to make sure this never happens again.
Mandria Wheatley says the incident involves her seven-year-old son, Calin, who attends North Gibson Elementary School.
She says she met with school officials Thursday, but isn't satisfied with their response.
Calin's mother says it all started on Wednesday while Calin was on the bus.
She says he's acted up on the bus before, but this was something different. He started to cry because he felt sick and overheated.
When the driver pulled up to Calin's stop, his older brother had to help him down the stairs before he stumbled to the parking lot and passed out. He was unconscious for about 20 minutes.
Neighbors that were outside ran to his aid and called 911. They told Calin's parents the bus driver drove away.
"My child could have laid in the parking lot and died if nobody would have seen him," said Mandria.
Calin was taken to St. Mary's by ambulance. The hospital says he was dehydrated.
His parents say he is now riding a different bus with air conditioning, but Mandria says that's not enough.
She met with school officials on Thursday, hoping they'll take some sort of action so that something like this never happens again.
"I want the bus drivers to be aware of when a child is in distress, or sick, that they need to focus a little bit more on just that child," said Mandria. "I'm sure he's not the only bus driver that doesn't know what to do in an emergency situation."
Those who witnesses the incident, both neighbors and students, say they still can't believe it.
"What if no one was outside? That little boy had to try to get his brother there with no adults out here," said a neighbor.
14 News spoke with the bus driver, Tony Hensley, on Sunday. With the issue ongoing, he has no comment.
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