A South Florida student was hit and injured after getting off the school bus. His mother said the accident could have been prevented. Now her push to drive change has a state lawmaker taking action. 7New’s Heather Walker has the latest in this 7Investigates update.
Violators caught in the act. Cameras installed on Miami-Dade school buses capture the license plates of cars that illegally pass.
Technology like this is relatively new.
But stop signs on school buses are not.
Dr. Regina Saenz: “I did not want to watch the video right away.”
As 7investigates reported in May, there was no stop sign on the private school shuttle that dropped Nicholas Suarez-Saenz off after school in Coral Gables.
From a neighbor’s security camera, you can see the 15-year-old starting to cross the street.
The next moment, he’s hit by this van.
Police say the driver crossed a double yellow line.
Nicholas Suarez-Saenz: “I was really lucky. A second later on his end, or a second earlier for me, I couldn’t be here in this interview right now.”
His mom, Dr. Regina Saenz, feared the worst.
Dr. Regina Saenz: “I made a couple of phone calls and asked people to pray.”
Thankfully, Nicholas only had minor injuries, but his mom says the accident exposed a major problem. In Florida, stop signs are required on public school buses but not private school vans. Now, that could soon be changing.
Dr. Regina Saenz: “My goal for speaking out, even though that it was difficult, it was to share our experience and to promote change to ensure that every child has the same protection when they go to school.”
Enter Senate Bill 52, filed just last week by state senator Ileana Garcia.
If passed, the bill would require stop signs on all school buses and vehicles. Sen. Garcia tells us: “This legislation would standardize safety requirements for all school buses and vehicles, ensuring that students are transported safely regardless of whether they attend public, private, or charter schools.”
Dr. Regina Saenz: “I got emotional because I felt that there was a chance to protect other children, not to undergo an incident like my child experienced.”
Senator Garcia says what the family went through, “Highlighted the urgent need for improved safety standards in private school transportation.”
Dr. Regina Saenz: “I’m very hopeful, and it’s gratifying to see that someone listened.”
The 2025 legislative session doesn’t start until March, and the filing of a bill is just the first step. But Dr. Saenz believes it’s a step in the right direction.
Dr. Regina Saenz: “If at one point down the line, another child can be prevented from getting injured as they’re transporting from school, it would be so satisfying for me.”
A parent turning her family’s pain into a push to help others.
Heather Walker, 7News.
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