Griffin mom in disbelief after bus driver left her injured child behind
GRIFFIN, Ga - Marteisa Belt says she couldn't believe her daughter's school bus driver just pulled off, leaving her child behind, after the girl was injured while running to catch the school bus.
Belt told FOX 5's Deidra Dukes, "He didn't try to offer a hand. He asked if she could get up. She said, 'No.' He got back on the bus."
Racarea Belt, 11, was racing to catch the school bus along East Chappell Street in Griffin on Tuesday morning when she suffered a bad fall.
"I was running and I just felt myself, like, giving out, so I tried to slow down and stop and I fell and hurt my knee," the girl said.
The Moore Elementary School student's knee was so badly injured, she couldn't get up. She said the school bus driver got off the bus to check on her, then said he was placing a call to the transportation hub.
Racarea said, "He got off and he tried to call, but he said it wasn't answering so he just left."
A neighbor called Marteisa Belt, telling her Racarea was hurt on the side of the road.
"I got to the bus stop," Marteisa Belt said, "My daughter was on the ground. The bus was long gone. The neighbor said she tried to help her up, but she couldn't get up."
Both women got Racarea into her mom's car and Marteisa Belt took her to the hospital.
GRIFFIN NEWS: Restaurant worker attacked through drive-thru window, search on for suspect
Marteisa Belt couldn't believe the bus driver left her daughter and called the transportation supervisor to complain.
"When I talked to them they said they followed procedure," said Belt. "I said, 'Was procedure leaving there before a parent even arrived, with a neighbor and parent, not even wait until they contact me?'"
In a written statement, a spokesman with the Spalding County School District said, "We reviewed bus audio and video footage and interviewed all involved transportation staff members. It is apparent that the bus left prematurely. After talking with the mother of the student, we are thankful to hear that the child has no major injuries and will recover. We are dedicated to continuous improvement of the service we provide."
Marteisa Belt wants the driver fired, saying he shouldn't have left her daughter without ensuring her mother was informed of the situation.
"She's 11-years old," she said. "She might be big for her age but she is still 11-years old in elementary school. You shouldn't have left her alone on the side of the road at that. That just wasn't right."
WATCH: FOX 5 Atlanta live news coverage
_____
Sign up for FOX 5 email alerts
Download the FOX 5 Atlanta app for breaking news and weather alerts.