Young boy left in van overnight
By: Jecoliah Ellis
Updated: January 24, 2008
(ROCHESTER) - Ebony Washington wasn't too worried when she heard her 10-year-old son Khallid's bus broke down. The Carter Street Community Center says he'd be home shortly after six Tuesday night. But hours passed and he never came home.
"I really panicked. I thought the worst. I didn't know what to think. I didn't know where my baby was," said Ebony Washington.
The family tried to reach someone at the community center where Khallid attends an after school program. When they couldn't get a hold of them, they called Rochester police.
"You have a lot of crazy people and I didn't know what to think I really didn't. I didn't know what to think so I did a lot of praying," said Debra Washington, Khallid’s Grandmother.
The family says when the bus broke down Khallid was put on a community center van. For whatever reason, the driver of the van never brought him home and left him in the back seat.
And that's where he sat until 4 Wednesday morning. He was found at the Danforth Community Center Bus Lot on Ames Street after spending nine hours in a van.
"He had went to the bathroom on himself and everything. So you think a kid sitting in 16 degree weather soaking wet," said Reggie Young, Khallid’s grandfather.
"How can you not see him? How can you not look on the back of the bus? How could you not cover your tracks," asks Ebony Washington. "I'm grateful he's alive and well and I got to give thanks to God for all of that."
Khallid was treated at Strong Memorial Hospital Wednesday morning, but is back home and doing well. His family says he spent the day getting some well-needed sleep. The bus driver and bus monitor have been put on leave, pending an investigation. The Carter Street Community Center is run by Community Place - a non-profit respite organization.
We're told there are specific procedures in place to make sure this doesn't happen. Every van or bus is required to have a bus driver and a bus monitor on board. The bus monitor is responsible for walking every child off the bus to their door, and checking the bus when all students are gone.
"If we discover that in fact they didn't follow it we will deal with that accordingly. We deal with transportation of children very seriously," said Rod Jones, Community Place President.
Jones says he and some of the others at community place plan to visit with Khallid’s family Wednesday night. He says they're very sorry Khallid had to endure this incident and they're glad he's okay.
