A 12-year-old boy reportedly had a dreadful experience on Monday, March 16. He was accidentally caught in the door of his school bus in Australia. His right arm and backpack were evidently inadvertently trapped. The child, named Nathaniel, was dragged quite a long distance - about 350 yards. He alertly kept his legs lifted during the ordeal and just hung on tight. Fortunately, he was not physically hurt but the boy reportedly suffered emotional trauma (anxiety) from the incident, per People.
Videos by Wide Open Country
Nathaniel's mom, Grace, posted a video of the serious mishap on Instagram, which she narrates. THe footage according to People, is from CCTV. There is also a lengthy post with it. She claims that there has allegedly been "zero incident transparency" from the bus company, Ventura, to date. She added that her son had been taking the bus to school on his own for just two months before the accident.
Grace Made a Plea for More "Acountability" From the Bus Company
Grace apparently feels that more can be done proactively to ward off the possibility of such accidents in the future. At this time, she seems displeased with the response she got from Ventura Bus Lines. Per People, the bus company allegedly sent a letter apologizing to Grace and claiming that the actions of the driver would be looked into.
Per News.com.au, the driver allegedly got fired. In a statement mentioned by the outlet, a Ventura spokesperson reportedly said the following. "We will continue to support the passenger and family at this time." It added, "The safety of our passengers is our priority. We have emphasised our safety protocols with all drivers and will implement a review to enhance driver training programs."
The distraught mom says in the video narration that her family suffered "trauma, disruption, and financial burden" after what happened to Nathaniel. He is seeing a psychologist to help him grapple with emotional distress.
She Also Asked for the Community's Involvement
She posted this message on social media. Nathaniel's mom is likely hoping that the public will be moved to action. "Ventura Bus Lines are the biggest bus operator in Victoria, their profits exceeded $300 million in 2025. They owe all passengers a duty of care and safety. Our children deserve to travel safely on public transport. No one's life should be put in such danger on their buses.
I am calling on the community to:
- share this post so other parents are aware
- contact / tag Ventura Bus Lines directly and demand accountability
- write to the Minister for Public & Active Transport to ensure Ventura Bus Lines commits to safety improvements to prevent this from happening again to anyone else
#BusSafety #ChildSafety #Melbourne #Victoria #PublicTransportSafety"
Premier Jacinta Allan Spoke Out About the Incident
Someone at the highest level of the Australian government expressed concern about what befell Nathaniel. Premier Jacinta Allan stated this per News.com.au. "Every parent wants to make sure their child gets to school safely, and that footage was just a shocking incident. My thoughts are with that young boy and his family and carers who are clearly distressed."
She added, "I've asked the minister for the Transport Accident Commission [TAC], I've asked him to direct the TAC to reach out to the family to see what further support can be provided. It's clearly had an impact, it will have an impact on him, so we want to reach out and support him and his family network."
In her video narration, Grace asserted she's not entitled to financial assistance from Ventura or from the TAC.
