A teenage girl was dragged down a street for 15 seconds after her leg became trapped in a bus door.
Seventeen-year-old Zoe Hague was attempting to board the bus when the door closed on her leg, pulling her along as the driver started to drive away.
Some passengers on board shouted at the driver to stop, but it is reported that he left Zoe at the side of the road and continued his route.
Following the incident in Sheffield on September 23, Zoe suffered a swollen and deeply cut knee, a back injury, and experienced concussion for three days.
“I was just stepping onto the bus when the doors shut, trapping my leg,” Zoe recounted. “Suddenly, the bus took off, dragging me down the road. I tried to stay upright, but my other leg was being pulled along the ground, and I was banging on the door to get the driver’s attention.”
She added, “I could hear the passengers yelling at him to stop; otherwise, I dread to think what could have happened. I just knew I had to find a way to get out. In the panic, my hearing went, but as it came back, I could hear people urging him to stop.”
The driver, who works for TM Travel, eventually opened the door to free Zoe’s leg and then asked if she still wanted to board the bus. She declined, requesting her mother, Cheryl, to pick her up because she was “in pain and dazed” and was “not in a fit state to go anywhere.”
The A-Level student described, “I was completely dazed, my trousers were torn, exposing my bloody knee, and my shoelaces had broken, so my shoe was off. I was in no condition to go anywhere and was in pain.”
Cheryl took Zoe to the emergency department, where doctors confirmed she had a concussion. She expressed her distress, knowing that the driver left her daughter without calling the police or an ambulance.
“If I had hit a cat or a hedgehog with my car, I would have taken it to a vet for treatment—leaving a teenage girl in that state by the roadside is awful,” Cheryl said. “She didn’t know where she was and was dazed for a few days. I’m thankful to the passengers who recognized what was happening and yelled at the driver; I shudder to think what might have occurred otherwise.”
Some passengers contacted Cheryl afterward, stating they were shaken by witnessing the incident. Thankfully, Zoe was wearing thick cord trousers that provided some protection; she often wears shorter skirts.
“I’ve read about incidents involving buses that can result in life-changing injuries and fatalities,” Cheryl reflected. “It made me sick to my core when I thought about it afterward. Leaving her like that without calling for help was the ultimate insult.”
Cheryl reported the incident to both the bus company and South Yorkshire Police. However, she was shocked to see the same driver still operating the bus on the same route just days later.
“We reported it to the bus company to ensure it doesn’t happen to anyone else,” Cheryl said, “but a day later, I found out he was still on the route, which left me baffled.”
Watch the clip via this link: https://videos.metro.co.uk/video/met/2024/10/04/2647669120549601988/640x360_MP4_2647669120549601988.mp4
