POMPANO BEACH, Fla. – Surveillance video released Tuesday showed a Broward County Transit bus run over a 14-year-old boy, who remained in critical condition at Broward Health Medical Center.
The incident happened in the 1200 block of East Sample Road on Friday morning.
The video showed a passenger telling the driver "Runner's coming" before the bus stopped. Another angle showed Jerry Cunningham sprinting to the bus stop.
Cunningham ran up alongside the bus as the doors closed, video showed. A woman standing in the front appeared to tell the driver, 55-year-old Reinaldo Soto, someone was trying to get on.
Soto raised his hand as if to say they had to go.
But Cunningham's hand was stuck in the door and video showed Soto may not have seen him because two standing passengers blocked his view.
As the bus pulled away, Cunningham ran alongside it for about five seconds before falling down.
Cunningham's mother witnessed the incident. The video appeared to show that everyone -- except Soto -- knew where Cunningham was.
Soto then stopped and several passengers got out and ran to help Cunningham. Others called 911.
"I told the bus driver to stop and he wouldn't and the child fell under the bus," said one caller.
Local 10 obtained Soto's county driving record. It listed 11 accidents -- three were ruled preventable; twice he clipped another bus; and, once he hit a car. None of the accidents resulted in injuries.
READ: Soto's driving record |
Soto has been a bus operator with Broward County Transit since Feb. 2002. He was placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.