Police crack down on drivers who pass school buses after 7-year-old hit in Springfield Township
SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- Police are shadowing school buses in Springfield Township, Delaware County.
They are looking for drivers who speed through stops while kids are being picked up or dropped off.
"I've been a police officer for 50 years and never heard it on this level where we've been hearing from bus drivers, parents, and other motorists," said Chief Joseph Daly.
In the last few months, police say there have been more than a dozen incidents reported, with a handful of citations given to drivers.
Just last month, second-grader Jazlyn Yeboah was hit by a driver who bypassed her stopped school bus on Woodland Avenue.
The bus driver had activated the flashing red lights and its side stop signal arm.
But she was still hit. It's not clear if the driver was distracted.
"She doesn't recognize anyone. She doesn't talk. She doesn't see us. She just lays down like a 1-day-old baby," said Jazlyn's father, Dickson Yeboah.
Now, out of a coma and able to open her eyes, Jazlyn celebrated her 8th birthday last week inside CHOP's trauma center.
"She was a girl who was full of life, very active, very lovely, so it breaks our heart," Dickson Yeboah said.
And the issue isn't isolated. This week, in Voorhees, New Jersey, a doorbell camera caught a driver blowing through a school bus stop, while the bus driver had its lights flashing and stop sign out.
Thankfully, no one was injured.
"It's just a matter of being patient, all that matters is that you drive safely to wherever you are going, but there's no need to rush to kill or destroy or someone's life," said Dickson Yeboah.
Motorists who go around school buses with their signals and lights activated will be fined, with five points off their driving record, and a 60-day license suspension.
