Ohio school bus driver yells at girl to return as car approaches

BEDFORD, Ohio -- It was a close call for an Ohio fifth grader.

Emma was about to exit her school bus in Bedford Thursday when her driver screamed to get back inside.

The fifth grader was almost mowed down when another driver was plowing past the bus, WEWS reports.

"It was very close; it like just missed the bus," Emma said.

But she wasn't walking into the street on Columbus Road. The driver plowed past the bus and onto her front lawn, just missing her.

"I actually came in and started crying because I knew what could have happened didn't happen if my bus driver didn't call me back in," Emma said.

The whole scene was caught on camera.

"Thinking about it is one thing, but actually seeing it happen and realizing what could have happened to her," Carol Davison, Emma's mother, said.

Although Davison is furious, she's mostly relieved it wasn't worse.

"If her bus driver hadn't had the foresight to yell and be paying attention, we would have a different situation today," Davison said.

Authorities say they cited 39-year-old Lonnie Tole for reckless operation.

They say he told them his brakes weren't working, but they don't buy it.

"He was able to get the car home safely and park the car safely so there's no credence that he didn't have brakes," Bedford Police Deputy Chief Rick Suts said.

Davison says she hopes this is a lesson to him and other drivers.

"Just be cautious of other people's kids. They might not be your own, but they're somebody's, somebody loves them and wants them to be around," Davison said.

Laws vary from state to state. In Ohio, if you pass a school bus while its stop lights are flashing, you could face fines, have points added to your license, or your license could be suspended.