A Colorado bus driver faces 30 counts of child abuse after he braked hard in an “effort” to teach students on the bus a lesson, which was captured on security video.
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Brian Fitzgerald,61, was recently hired to drive for the Douglas County School District when the incident occurred on March 1. The shocking footage showed Fitzgerald telling students to remain in their seats before saying, “You guys want to see how dangerous that is?” Moments later, the students are thrown against the seats in front of them after Fitzgerald suddenly hit the brakes while driving 9 mph, as reported by ABC News.
He says to them, “Did you get that? That’s why you need to be in your seat. Turn around and sit down properly.” The students could be heard asking questions about the incident, and one student pulled out their cell phone to report what happened.
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There was another clip of Fitzgerald explaining the incident to a parent and apologizing if their daughter was hurt.
“I was coming to a stop and I hit the brakes hard because they weren’t, they were not listening. So, I’m sorry if she got hurt,”
A misdemeanor complaint was filed against the substitute bus driver on April 12, including 29 child abuse charges and one count of child abuse with bodily injuries. He is scheduled to appear in court on May 12. Fitzgerald also penned a letter to the school district apologizing for his actions and called it a “repetitive historical pattern of improper student management.”
“I am sincerely sorry for my choice of actions today in my efforts of training students. I am still 100% responsible for my actions in trying to both educate and control students on the bus. Being a new driver, I did not make the best decision and if I were able to redo what I did I would rethink my decisions.”
A district spokesperson told the outlet that Fitzgerald no longer works for the Douglas School District after parents and administrators reported the incident to officials.
After the video went viral on social media, some users shared a similar experience with bus drivers. One user wrote, “My husband said he had a bus driver do this too and this is why he couldn’t be one himself. He would totally do that.” Another said, “When I was in the UK, bus drivers used to do this all the time, especially when an elderly frail passenger was standing or walking to a seat. I witnessed many injuries, including my son, who got a nasty bump on his head.”
There needs to be another adult that can supervise the children on the bus, so the bus driver can focus on driving the bus. The person driving the bus can’t do it all.
— Cotton Cofelt (@CCofelt) April 21, 2023
Children are children. Of course they’ll play up on a bus. But I think it’s a bit much he’s being sued. It’s not as if one of the kids went through the windshield.
But one thing on my mind is: Where’s the seatbelts?
— Pro-Democracy Warrior 🟧☮️🇺🇦❁ (@Truth_Comes_1st) April 21, 2023