Woman Saves Child as She Is Killed by Runaway Bus at Park

A field trip to the Los Angeles Zoo was marred by tragedy Friday when an idling school bus, whose driver was outside, rolled over and killed a 50-year-old woman just after she had pushed a little boy out of harm’s way, authorities said.

The supervisor, whose name was not released because her family has not been notified, and the 3-year-old were dragged under the vehicle as it started to roll.

She maneuvered the child to safety just before one of the bus’s wheels rolled over her, California Highway Patrol officers said.

The chartered bus was on an incline at Griffith Park about 1:30 p.m. when the accident occurred. Some of the 29 children, ages 3 to 4 years old, and nine adult supervisors were aboard and others were waiting to board for a return trip to Jardin de Ninos preschool in Lincoln Heights.

While the supervisor was helping the boy into the bus, the 35,000-pound vehicle began to roll down the incline. Authorities were not immediately certain if its emergency brake had failed.

Witnesses said children screamed and scattered as the supervisor and boy somehow were pulled under the vehicle.

“She grabbed the child and cradled him” before she pushed him under the center of the bus, away from the wheels, CHP Sgt. Jill Angel said.

The boy sustained minor cuts to his knees and elbows and was under observation at Childrens Hospital of Los Angeles on Friday night, CHP Officer Paul Martinez said.

As the bus was rolling, the driver ran parallel to it and jumped in. He stopped the vehicle before it reached the bottom of the hill, Angel said.

The vehicle was towed to a CHP garage where it was being inspected. Martinez said its last CHP inspection was two months ago.

“I just heard everyone go, ‘Ay! ay!’ Then everyone cried,” said Jesus Rubio, who was sitting on a nearby hill with his wife when the bus started rolling.

Although it was a tragedy that the woman was killed, Martinez said people were relieved that the children were unharmed.

“The main concern was the children,” he said, gesturing over to the field where the preschoolers were playing as the woman’s body was put inside an emergency vehicle. “They’re doing OK now.”

Later, a crisis intervention team visited the children at the school after they had returned in another vehicle, Martinez said.

John Martin, a supervisor with Mark IV, the company from which the bus was chartered, would not comment on the accident.