Ray's coworkers had a very difficult afternoon on Friday. One of the things that has always surprised me is how many stories he and his coworkers have about the HUGE number of people who pass buses when they are pulled over with their lights flashing because kids are getting on or off the bus. Well, this time someone did it, and it became a serious situation.

It all started when a 20 year old was test driving a car from one of our local used car dealers. He decided that he didn't want to return the car as he should. The salesperson realized what he was doing and jumped in his own car to chase him down.

At the same time, there was a 7-year-old little boy who was crossing the road at the time. He had just gotten off the bus in front of his house as the cars came along. The first car passed by a van behind the bus and the bus itself just as the little boy stepped out.

The car hit the boy and through him into the bus' extended stop sign causing a pretty nasty head injury before speeding off. The good news is proved to be "just" a gash. The boy was able to come home later that evening so it could have been a lot worse.

Because of the circumstances, the salesman was able to identify the driver and provide the police with detailed information about the car so the police were able to nab him fairly quickly.

The poor bus driver and all the kids on the bus, as well as a number of other people in the community were pretty traumatized by what happened.

Here is a story from one of our local papers, The Woonsocket Call if you are interested in the more specific details.

There has been some side flack that came about as a result of the accident. In RI, bus monitors are mandated by state rules, at least as long as our Governor doesn't get his way and waive that requirement to save money. I am thinking this incident might stop that from happening. Anyway, the manager of the monitors for the school department has let staffing levels for the buses fall low enough that a number of them did not have monitors ... including the one that this little boy was on.

This meant the driver could not get off the bus to help the little boy because she is required to stay buckled into the driver's seat at all times. The monitor would have been able to help the boy while the driver stayed on the bus to keep an eye on it and the other children.

While no one can be sure that having a monitor helping to cross the little boy would have stopped anything (it might have led to two injured people or worse), but it might have. The Superintendent apparently didn't know about the staffing issues and went over the manager's head to immediately hire some of our graduating seniors to work the unfilled spots until the end of the school year.

Sadly, the monitors went before the school committee to complain about things the manager wasn't doing what she was supposed to be doing in a number of areas. While some changes were made, it seems not everything was resolved. Ray actually was the monitor who spoke before the school committee at that time and received a letter from the superintendent "putting Ra in his place" and saying that Ray did not manage the monitors ... the manager did.

This is such a sad situation all around. Thankfully, it wasn't worse. It definitely could have been. Hopefully, the boy will have a speedy recovery.