WASHINGTON — An unattended school bus rolled across Powder Mill Road and struck an 8-year-old boy at a bus stop in front of High Point High School in Beltsville, Md., Prince George’s County police say.
“He was stuck under the vehicle. He was not pinned, as originally reported. And thankfully, a citizen came by and pulled him from under the bus,” said Prince George’s County Police spokeswoman Officer Nicole Hubbard.
The driver left four students unattended on the bus in front of the school, police said.
The bus “drifted across from the spot at High Point High School across Powder Mill Road and it came to rest at Glenshell Road,” Hubbard said.
The accident occurred at 7:15 a.m. It was unclear why the bus began to drift across the road.
Initially, the fire department said the bus struck two students.
The boy who was hit did not suffer life-threatening injures. The four students on the bus were taken to local hospitals with minor injuries.
All five had been released from the hospital by Monday afternoon, according to police.
Police say the children on the bus were headed to either Dwight D. Eisenhower Middle School in Laurel or Oaklands Elementary School in Laurel.
The driver is under arrest for leaving children unattended, apparently while he went to the bathroom, sources tell WTOP’s Kristi King.
Arturo R. Harris, 61, of Clinton, is also charged with reckless endangerment and he faces several traffic charges.
Police continue to investigate.
Md St pox will inspect bus #WTOP pic.twitter.com/gK0dYSRPkc
— Kristi King (@kingWTOP) April 7, 2014
ABC7’s Brad Freitas tweeted this photo from above the scene:
PHOTO school bus accident Powder Mill Rd CLOSED at High Point HS 5 students injured #mdtraffic #breakingnews pic.twitter.com/qjY57yZzKY
— Brad Freitas (@NewsChopperBrad) April 7, 2014
Follow @WTOP and @WTOPTraffic on Twitter and WTOP on Facebook.
