A terrified 10-year-old girl sent a series of desperate pleading text messages to her family after being left stranded two kilometres from her home during heavy rainfall on the Gold Coast. The Year Five student from Tallebudgera State School was instructed by a substitute bus driver to "walk home" after the vehicle encountered a flooded road on February 13.
Panicked Messages Fail to Send
The young girl attempted to contact her mother using her iPad, but because the device was not connected to WiFi, none of her frantic messages were transmitted. In a voice note obtained by 7News, she can be heard saying, "Mum I hope this is working. The bus driver dropped me off at the end of the road because we have this substitute. And he just dropped me off there and said 'you can walk home', I'm really scared."
She added, "I'm really cold and I'm shivering under a tree for 10 minutes. Please, answer... please." The incident occurred amid severe weather conditions, with falls of up to 250mm recorded on the Gold Coast last week. Police had issued warnings after rescuing five individuals from flooded roads in the area.
Police and Safety Reminders
A police statement emphasised the dangers of driving through floodwaters, noting that it risks not only drivers and their vehicles but also emergency responders. Kinetic Buses, one of Australia's largest operators, manages over 50 routes on the Gold Coast, including numerous school services. Daily Mail has reached out to Kinetic Buses for comment regarding the incident.
Queensland's No Child Left Behind Policy
This event highlights concerns over adherence to Queensland's No Child Left Behind policy, which mandates that bus drivers allow every child onto their bus, even if they lack fare money, and prohibits leaving a child stranded. The policy was established following the tragic abduction of Daniel Morcombe in 2003.
Daniel, aged 13, was abducted after a bus failed to stop for him near the Kiel Mountain Road overpass on the Sunshine Coast. The bus he intended to catch had broken down, a replacement bus did not stop, and by the time a second bus arrived minutes later, he was already gone. Brett Peter Cowan later confessed to killing Daniel, underscoring the critical importance of such safety measures.
The recent incident raises questions about bus driver training and compliance with safety protocols, especially during adverse weather conditions. Parents and authorities are calling for stricter enforcement to prevent similar occurrences in the future.
