Children bailed out of a school bus in Lady Lake after a substitute driver apparently lost control of the situation.
A 911 call had been received at about 3:30 p.m. Feb. 22 from a student from Villages Elementary of Lady Lake who said the bus driver was “going crazy, driving fast and slamming on the brakes making kids fall.”
Villages Elementary of Lady Lake Principal David Bordenkircher and Lady Lake police arrived at South Old Dixie Highway behind Dollar General, where they found the school bus. Several parents also arrived at the scene, according to an incident report from the Lady Lake Police Department.
The 59-year-old substitute bus driver told police the children had been “misbehaving and complaining they were hot.” He said the air conditioning on the bus was not working properly. The children began opening windows and sticking their heads and arms out, the report said. The driver said the students were “being overly dramatic about the situation.” He stopped the bus at a regular stop and all of the children got off the bus, not just the ones who regularly get off at that location.
School personnel accounted for 17 of the children. Some had walked home on their own, the report said.