Family wants justice after driver hits boy boarding school bus

The family of a 10-year-old boy who was hit by a car that passed his stopped school bus is demanding answers as to why the driver isn't facing any charges.

Ian Palencia-Mendoza is now in a wheelchair and has to learn how to walk again after suffering a broken femur. As News 12 reported, the sixth-grader was hit by an SUV while crossing the street to get on his school bus last Friday in Kings Park.

“Thank God this was not life-threatening either,” says Ian. “It was just my leg, but it’s still in a lot of pain.”

Ian remembers that morning vividly. Police say the bus’s lights were on and the stop sign was out.

“The bus driver said we could go, cause he gave us the sign that we could go,” says Ian. “So we were going and he was still coming. I kind of expected him to stop because it’s illegal.”

The driver who hit him is 81-year-old Pasquale Izzo, of Kings Park. He still has not been issued a ticket or been charged with anything. The family is wondering why Izzo is not facing any consequences.

“There should be a fine, like normally everybody gets a fine,” says Ruth Palencia, Ian’s mother.

“Every year, the bus driver tells us it’s illegal when anyone tries to go when we're picking up a child and it is illegal,” says Ian. “He should be facing a fine or an arrest.”

Suffolk police say the case is still open, and the district attorney's office is also investigating. A statement from police said, "Often times, in an open investigation involving a motor vehicle accident, summonses and charges, if any, are not issued until the investigation is completed."

Meanwhile, Ian will be home-schooled and get physical therapy. Doctors hope he'll be walking in about six months.

“We are going to be here and help him each day and step by step until he starts walking again, like when I teach him to walk when he was a little baby,” says Palencia.

“I'm really lucky,” Ian adds. “Really lucky.”
Donations for Ian Palencia-Mendoza can go to:
William T. Rogers Middle School
97 Old Dock Road
Kings Park, New York 11754