Girl Dragged Along Street After Getting Foot Stuck in Bus Door in Harrowing Video
A bus driver has been suspended after a harrowing video showed his vehicle dragging a teenage girl for nearly half a minute after her foot got caught in a closing door.
The girl suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was "not badly hurt," a spokesperson for the public transport operator said afterward.
The distressing incident happened in the city of Huizhou, in China's southern province of Guangdong, last Thursday, and was captured by the public bus's onboard surveillance cameras.
In the video, the 13-year-old schoolgirl wearing her uniform and carrying a pink backpack can be seen at the back of the stopped bus as the set of double doors open.
As she takes a step forward, however, she pauses to inspect the oncoming traffic and stops to let a motorcycle pass. As she plants her left foot on the ground, the bus door suddenly shuts and snags her right foot and right hand.
The footage dated April 8 shows the mask-wearing girl trying desperately to pull her hand free while running alongside the vehicle, but she eventually falls and is dragged along the asphalt for around 24 seconds.
The driver, who was identified only by the last name Zhou, eventually stopped the bus after hearing the girl's screams and being alerted by other witnesses nearby, Jinan-based Qilu Evening News reported Monday.
The CCTV clip shows him running out onto the road to check on the girl after she appears to stand up by herself despite the shock of the ordeal. Zhou is seen walking the girl back into the bus and sitting her down before reportedly driving her to a local hospital.
The incident took place on Yingshan Road near Laolilin bus stop, which is in the city's Huicheng district, the Jinan newspaper said, citing a police spokesperson. The authorities did not say whether Zhou would lose his license over the apparent mistake.
The child was hospitalized with minor injuries including abrasions on her arm and leg. She remained under medical observation as of Monday.
Bus operator Huizhou Jinda Transport Co. Ltd. told Shanghai news outlet The Paper that the accident occurred on a route 331 bus, and that Zhou had been suspended pending internal disciplinary proceedings.
"It happened during rush hour and the driver failed to ensure the girl had safely got off the bus," a spokesperson told the publication.
"The driver saw her getting off, but she had actually stopped because there was a vehicle or something passing in front of her. That's how she was caught [in the door]," she added.
