Dad wants action after son forgotten for hours in school transport

NANTICOKE – Michael Perrins of Nanticoke can’t comprehend how someone could forget a small child in a vehicle, especially when a person gets paid to transport children to and from school.

Perrins’ son, 4-year-old Michael, also known as Mikey, was forgotten in a Cragle Bus Service SUV for several hours Tuesday after the vehicle was dropped off for repairs in Wilkes-Barre.

Perrins wants immediate changes made and the driver to be held responsible for forgetting his child.

Wilkes-Barre police are investigating the incident. It is not known if the driver will be charged with endangering the welfare of children or other violations.

Perrins wants the driver to face some type of punishment. He points out that if a person were to leave a child in a vehicle at a store for a few minutes he or she would be in trouble with the law enforcement authorities.

“It may not be jail, but house arrest or something. I think that is my biggest fear that it is going to get lost in the system,” Perrins said.

No one knew Mikey was missing until noon Tuesday. Perrins escorted his two children, Mikey and his 5-year-old sister, to the bus stop at 8 a.m. Tuesday and watched Mikey climb onto the third-row seat of an SUV, a different vehicle than his sister. Mikey should have started classes at the Luzerne-Wyoming Early Intervention Program at 9:15 a.m. Perrins called the school shortly before noon because Mikey was late arriving home and was informed that Mikey had not arrived for class.

He then called the owner of Cragle Bus Service to find out where his son was. He said the transportation owner soon called back informing him the vehicle transporting Mikey was taken in for repairs at Valley Chevrolet shortly before 9 a.m. and a dealership employee found Mikey in the vehicle that was parked outside.

Mikey told his family he was screaming and crying while locked in the vehicle, but no one heard him calling for help.

The boy was evaluated at a local hospital and found to not suffer from frostbite or other injuries. Perrins said his son has had trouble sleeping since the incident.

Following this incident, Greater Nanticoke Area Superintendent Tony Perrone met with representatives from the transportation firm to inform them tougher policies would be enacted.

Now drivers of any vehicle, regardless of whether it is a school bus or vehicle transport, will be required to visibly check that no children are left on the vehicle and who may be hidden from view.

“I think if you drive a bus and have little kids on it that you should be aware and sure that every one of those children is accounted for,” Perrone said.

He said he believes the matter was a bad mistake as he said the driver was extremely visibly upset during a meeting with district officials.

But news of the updated policies didn’t ease Perrins’ anger or frustration. He said he wants to see additional staff or aides ride on buses so another adult is present to account for students. He said doesn’t want the driver transporting other children in any district throughout Luzerne County.

The driver of Mikey’s transport will no longer be allowed to drive any Nanticoke Area students, Perrone said.

Mikey will return to school on Friday aboard another school transportation vehicle. His father promises to not be far behind as he plans to follow the vehicle to his son’s school to ensure Mikey is not forgotten again.

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Driver left 4-year-old boy in SUV after vehicle dropped off for repairs, official confirms.

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