Boy, 12, dragged along road by bus during morning school commute

At the start of the year, 12-year-old Nathaniel took a big step in his independence – catching the bus to school by himself.

For the first two months, his morning commute was that of every other traveller.

But on March 16, it turned into a nightmare that could have changed his life forever.

Footage shared online by Nathaniel’s distressed mother, Grace, showed her son being dragged along Brandon Park Drive, Wheelers Hill, in Melbourne’s south-east, after his school backpack and right arm became caught in the door of the bus.

“As he was stepping off the bus that morning, the bus driver closed the back door on him, trapping his school bag and right arm before he had fully alighted the bus,” Grace said in the video shared on Instagram.

“The bus moved off before Nathaniel could free himself or call out for help, carrying him on the outside of the bus for about 350 metres.

“Nathaniel had to lift his legs off the road and hung on with his right hand to the inner door rail while passing parked cars just centimetres away.”

In the CCTV footage, timestamped at 8am that day, the boy is at the bottom of the bus door with his arm stuck inside. His legs are bent with his knees held close to his chest, avoiding the road and parked cars.

Grace said the bus driver finally realised where Nathaniel was when he “prepared to stop at the next bus stop”.

“He then opened the door to free him,” she said.

“It was a miracle that Nathaniel was able to walk way uninjured. However, he now suffers from anxiety and is no longer confident to catch the bus by himself.”

Nathaniel is now seeing a psychologist, but Grace said she was not entitled to any support from the Transport Accident Commission (TAC) or from the bus line.

“[The bus company] Ventura has simply referred us to TAC despite knowing that as a minor with no physical injury and no loss of income, our TAC entitlements are limited,” she said.

In a letter to Grace, Ventura apologised for the incident and said there would be an assessment into the driver’s ability.

“I would like to apologise for the behaviour of the driver and not for delivering a service to your expectations,” the letter said.

“Please be assured that Ventura is committed to providing a safe and dependable service to the public.”

Ventura investigated the incident and sacked the driver.

“This is a very distressing incident, and we will continue to support the passenger and family at this time,” the company said in a statement.

“The safety of our passengers is our priority. We have emphasised our safety protocols with all drivers and will implement a review to enhance driver training programs.”

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