Bonita Springs teen hit by car boarding school bus, grandparents urge driver to slow down

LEE COUNTY, Fla. (WINK)—A 14-year-old Bonita Springs Middle School student was hit by a car while trying to board her school bus, and newly released video from the bus shows the terrifying moment of impact.

Abby Westfield walked away with soft tissue damage but continues to receive medical treatment for whiplash more than a month after the incident. Her grandparents are sharing the difficult-to-watch footage in hopes of changing driver behavior around school buses.

In the video, Abby was steps away from boarding the bus when a car flew past to avoid rear-ending it. The vehicle struck Abby directly in the back.

"I damn near lost my granddaughter because of someone that wasn't paying attention told me verbatim that I was going too fast and I couldn't stop even though the flashers were on and the school was," said Brian Masters, Abby's grandfather. "Inexcusable."

Photos taken the day after the accident show a dent in the car where Abby's backpack, filled with school books, a sketchpad and Chromebook, made impact. The Masters family said a sheriff's deputy told them that if Abby had turned toward the car instead of away from it, she would have gone over the hood and into the windshield.

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Student recovering after being hit by car along Coconut Road in Estero

ESTERO, Fla. (WINK) — A middle school student is recovering after being hit by a car at a bus stop along Coconut Road.

"We have a chance to learn from this situation," said Lori Masters, Abby's grandmother. "Slow down. Talk to your kids that are driving. Talk to your parents, everybody. Talk to all the drivers and make sure they understand."

The Masters say they alternated taking Abby to school in the weeks following the accident, but she recently started taking the bus again. Abby's accident came just seven weeks after the Masters family tragically lost her uncle.

While Abby heals, her grandparents say they will never forget the moment they found out she was hit and will never stop advocating for drivers to slow down.

"She's amazing to us, and we love her so much," Lori Masters said. "We couldn't imagine our life without her."

The Masters family says it doesn't need to take a tragedy for drivers to be more aware of how dangerous passing a bus can be.

"You're not more important," Lori Masters said. "Your job isn't more important. Nobody is more important than that innocent student trying to get to school."

BusPatrol cameras installed on Lee County buses have caught more than 25,000 drivers illegally passing school buses in less than six months. The violations put children's lives in danger every day.

"School buses are designed to be the safest forms of transportation, but the safety depends on every single driver in our community following the law and remaining alert around our stopped school buses," said Denise Carlin, School District of Lee County superintendent.

Drivers must stop for a school bus when red lights are flashing and stop signs are extended. The Bus Patrol footage shows cars not only illegally passing buses but also rear-ending them and, in some cases, driving the wrong way to get around them.

With more than 60,000 students taking the bus every day in Lee County, the stakes are high.

"Until they return, it's all of our responsibilities to make sure that they come home safe," said Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno.

According to BusPatrol data, the 200 block of FL-82 in Fort Myers ranks as the most dangerous area for school buses in Lee County. The 2500 block of Hanson Street in Fort Myers and the 800 block of Pondella Road in North Fort Myers round out the top three.

The Governors Highway Safety Association reported drivers pass a school bus illegally between 39 and 43 million times a year in the United States. BusPatrol takes a cut from the $225 ticket drivers receive when they pass a bus illegally, and violators pay for the technology.

Bus Patrol reports that children have a 1 in 1.2 million chance of being exposed to an active shooter at school but a 1 in 8,000 chance of dying on the roadway in their lifetime. The statistic highlights the dangers of poor driving habits around school buses.

"This is actually at scale one of the largest problems that we have in child safety in this country," said Justin Meyers, president and CIO of BusPatrol. "This is a very, very real issue, and every single community in this country is impacted by it."

Meyers said tickets are down 18% since the first month of the camera program. He said 90% of people ticketed will not pass a bus illegally again.

For more information school bus stopping and passing laws click here.

Passing a school bus can result in a $225 traffic ticket or in situations like this accident, further legal action.