Terrifying footage shows girl, 6, dragged by school bus as civil trial begins
Frightening new footage shows the moment a 6-year-old Kentucky girl was dragged by a school bus for several blocks — as a civil trial against the driver began this week.
In disturbing video of the May 2015 incident, obtained by WAVE 3 News, first-grader Ally Rednour’s pink backpack becomes stuck in the double doors of the bus as she tries to exit in Louisville.
The driver, Melinda Sanders, then steps on the gas without noticing the young student — forcing Ally to run alongside the vehicle before falling and being dragged, according to the footage taken from inside the bus.
“Oh my God, oh my God!” the stunned bus driver later shouts as she realizes she’s pulling the girl down the street.
The shocking accident left Ally, a Wilkerson Traditional Elementary School student, with nerve damage and severe abrasions, according to a lawsuit filed against the driver and Jefferson County Public School in 2018.
The first-grader underwent several surgeries and now suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, according to the suit obtained by the local station.
The footage is expected to be played during the civil trial, which began Tuesday.
Sanders was previously fired after a school district investigation found she didn’t watch as the child got off the bus — safety protocol taught during training, according to the station.
During the trial, Sanders testified that she deeply regrets failing to check whether the girl had safely left the bus, WPSD Local.
“It means a lot to me, and I wish … that I had followed that, that day,” she said. “I can’t take that day back.”