“They almost killed by kid”: Brunswick Co. mom speaks out after near miss at Leland school bus stop
LELAND, NC (WWAY-TV) – In Brunswick County, a mom is speaking out after her son was nearly struck by a passing car while walking to a school bus. Kristi Efting and her 9-year-old son, Thomas, were racing the clock Wednesday morning after accidently sleeping in before the school bus came.
“So Thomas was in a full stride out the door going to the bus as hard as he could,” Efting said.
Kristi and her family live right off Lanvale Road with a 45 mile per hour speed limit and Thomas must cross the busy street to get on the bus. When his bus arrived, its flashing lights and stop sign were deployed.
“He went to proceed to step into the road to get on the bus and we heard horns and we looked out the window and we watched the car just go shoot by,” Kristi said.
Kristi said the bus driver motioned for Thomas to stop when they noticed the fast-moving vehicle.
“They almost killed my kid, thankfully he was not hit, he was not hurt but had he been I couldn’t imagine coming home everyday knowing that my child got killed at the end of my driveway,” Kristi said.
Kristi said after submitting a transportation service request, Lincoln Elementary rerouted the bus which now stops at the end of their driveway instead of across the street. Despite the reroute, Thomas was still scarred when it came time to get on the bus the next day.
“He was terrified to get on the bus so he is now a car rider in the mornings,” Kristi said.
Video of the incident was captured on the bus’s exterior camera. In a statement to WWAY, the school said that footage can not be released publicly while under investigation.
“They never hit their brakes, even in the video when we re-watched it no brakes were ever hit,” Kristi said.
In North Carolina, when a driver unlawfully passes a stopped school bus that person faces a class 1 misdemeanor, fine of $500 and five points added to their driver’s license.
Kristi said the driver was in a Buick Enclave and hopes that person will be held accountable.
“There are hundreds of kids in this county who ride the bus and it could happen to anybody.”
The Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office and State Highway Patrol are still investigating the incident.
