Mother upset she was not notified after school bus involved in crash
MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- Her son was in a school bus accident, and a Milwaukee mom says his school never called to tell her. She says she actually had to fight to find out what happened -- and part of that fight included calling FOX6 News.
"When my child is in their hands, on their time, they're reliable," Patrice Johnson said.
The school bus that drops off Johnson's eight-year-old son Amarion and his two brothers arrived late on Wednesday, March 13th.
"They all walked in, he dropped his backpack and fell to the floor. I said, 'what's going on?' He said, 'we was in a school bus accident,'" Johnson said.
Johnson noticed some swelling around her son's eye.
"I hit my face on the seat," Amarion said.
Worried about a concussion, Johnson took Amarion to the ER.
"He was checked out at the hospital, through the ER and they found that he had bruising and swelling," Johnson said.
Johnson's son attends the Business and Economics Academy of Milwaukee, where a sign reads: "exceeding expectations." However, Johnson says her expectations were not met.
"I asked them, 'why wasn't an incident report filed? Why wasn't my child checked out?' They said, 'we sent the firemen on the bus and asked if the kids were okay. Two kids were taken off the bus,'" Johnson said.
There is still debris in the street at 19th and Nash, where the Lakeside School Bus Company says a driver ran a stop sign and hit the bus.
"The car was totally smooshed in the front, on the right side of it. Pretty banged up, and it was a really bad accident. I could tell," Yvonne Lasley said.
The bus company says they immediately notified the school district. MPS says the school has a charter contract and the district is not involved in its day-to-day operations.
Still, a spokesman says: "The school notified the parents of students who reported injuries. Our expectation is that schools notify all parents of those involved in a situation such as this one. The school will make certain this expectation is followed in the future."
"I had to get on the phone and make phone calls this morning in order for me to get answers," Johnson said.
Officials say the individual who struck the bus was arrested for OWI (first offense).