CCTV footage released this week shows the moment a toddler was dragged along a street in Melbourne, Australia, after his legs became trapped in a bus door. The boy, believed to be aged between three and five, boarded the bus with a man at around 5pm on June 5. Approximately 15 minutes later, the pair tried to disembark, but the doors began to close before the child was off the bus.
Incident Details
His legs became trapped, and the bus pulled away from the pavement. The man, believed to be the boy's parent or guardian, tried to pull him from the moving vehicle. Passengers, in complete shock, shouted for the bus driver to stop. Authorities are working to identify the pair.
Safety Concerns Raised
Public Transport Users Association spokesperson Tony Morton said the incident demonstrates the transport network must have stronger structural safeguards. "This appears to be a case where things have just not really been attended to properly, and there's been a lapse in some of the basic safety there," he told Australian news outlet 9News.
Response and Previous Incident
The state's bus safety regulator has issued a call for the man, witnesses, or anyone who helped the pair to come forward. The bus operator described the incident as distressing and said it has reinforced safety protocols with all drivers.
Just months earlier, a 12-year-old boy was dragged along a road in Melbourne after his bag and right arm became caught in the automatic bus doors. He was dragged for about 350 metres down the street before the bus driver noticed.
