Rescue crews respond to the scene on May 5, 2021. Photo / Walton County Sheriff's Office
Rescue crews respond to the scene on May 5, 2021. Photo / Walton County Sheriff's Office
An 11-year-old boy in the US state of Georgia jumped from his school bus into moving traffic, with his father claiming he did it to escape bullies who had been tormenting him for months.
On May 5, while the bus was stopped at a red light, the boy jumped from the window onto a pick-up truck and then fell onto the road, suffering a concussion and a broken elbow.
His father, Dion Murphy, told Fox 5 news that he feared the worst when he was told of the incident.
"Death. [That's the] first thing I'm thinking when I hear you jumped out a vehicle because I'm curious if it was moving and I'm thinking about moving traffic and I was concerned he'd get ran over or killed," he said.
"I believe he was trying to escape the situation. At this moment he felt his back was up against the wall," Murphy added.
Rescue crews respond to the scene on May 5, 2021. Photo / Walton County Sheriff's Office
He said he had viewed the tapes and seen his son being bullied.
"One student jumped in his face, he was pushing him against the window, when he fell, the other student took his shoe and in a desperate attempt to escape it, he jumped out the window," he said.
"It broke my heart because this is something that shouldn't have ever happened, way before this matter happened," he said.
Murphy said he had seen other tapes that show his son's battle with bullies has been going on all year and he previously met with school officials in March to discuss the issue.
"There's more tapes and that's why I'm so upset because the school neglected the bullying act and did not do anything about it. They took it as horse-play, but my son could have lost his life."
A school spokesman told Fox 5 in a statement: "Following a bus incident on May 5, a Walton County School District student sustained minor, non-life-threatening injuries. The other students and driver on the bus were not injured. School and district officials are aware of the bullying allegations made in connection with this event. The Walton County School District does not tolerate bullying and harassment of any kind. The incident is being thoroughly investigated by school officials and any disciplinary issues that may arise will be handled appropriately at the school level."
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