‘They were in a clear panic.’ Mother of Newburgh boy who fainted on hot bus shares new details about ordeal
The mother of a Newburgh elementary student who fainted on board a hot bus last week spoke exclusively to News 12 about a series of events that led to five children on the bus ride home being taken to the hospital.
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314ds agoThe mother of a Newburgh elementary student who fainted on board a hot bus last week spoke exclusively to News 12 about a series of events that led to five children on the bus ride home being taken to the hospital.
Carissa Saldarriaga says her 10-year-old son, Nicolas, was frightened and felt lost when his Visconti bus was detoured last Tuesday and broke down on the way home.
“My son is calling me on the bus,” says Saldarriaga. “The bus has stopped, and at this point he’s telling me somebody has a nosebleed and I believe the bus is in distress.”
The Newburgh mom says the bus was carrying Meadow Hill Elementary kids from three routes that day because of a driver shortage when it broke down on Snake Hill Road in New Windsor.
Saldarriaga says the school sent parents an email that afternoon that the route would be different but that the kids were confused and knew they weren’t on their normal route.
“I’m not sure they were even given information that their bus was being detoured so as far as they knew, they were lost," she says.
The mom says her son started to repeatedly call after the bus apparently broke down, saying it was hot even though the windows were open and that two kids now had nose bleeds.
“I got another call from Nick, but at this point, it’s not Nick – it’s New Windsor Paramedics," she says.
Nicholas fainted on the bus, causing four other elementary students to suffer panic attacks, according to New Windsor police.
The boy’s mother says he does not have any medical conditions that would cause him to faint and that he has never fainted before.
New Windsor Police Chief Robert Doss tells News 12 the bus was “excessively hot” and that the children were taken to the hospital as a precaution.
On Monday, several other Newburgh students were on board another district bus when it was apparently rear-ended on the way to New Windsor Elementary School.
The district has not released any information about either incident.
Parents, like Saldarriaga, say better communication is needed during situations like these.
“There was no communication," she says. "The bus didn’t communicate with the school or district. The only way they knew what was going on is Nicholas telling me.”
News 12 called Visconti bus for comment but hasn’t heard back.
News 12 also contacted the Newburgh School District multiple times and has not received a response.
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