Driver charged after child dragged by school bus near Brantford, Ont.

A 64-year-old school bus driver from Brant County has been charged with careless driving after a five-year-old child was dragged by a school bus.

According to Brant County Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), on Nov. 1, around 3:56 p.m., officers responded to Mount Pleasant just south of Brantford, Ont.

“It was determined a five-year-old child was attempting to get off a school bus when the doors closed, trapping part of the child's body,” OPP said in a news release. “The bus travelled 15 to 20 feet with the child's legs dangling outside the bus before it stopped.”

According to OPP, the bus was functioning properly on the day of the incident.

"My understanding is that the bus was checked for mechanical fitness and found to be in proper working order,” OPP Const. Conrad Vitalis told CTV News. “No issues that way, so it wasn't a malfunction of the door.”

Police said there isn’t much a parent could do to avoid this situation, but suggest being around the area to help their child as they enter and exit the school bus.

“I’ve seen some parents where they actually kind of approach the bus or line themselves up with the open doors, engage the bus driver, that might be one more step where the bus driver sees you, has a better sight line of you and the children," said Vitalis.

The incident was captured on video by a home security camera and shared with CTV News by the child’s father, Derek Tappen.

The footage shows Tappen’s oldest son getting off the bus safely, but his youngest son, five-year-old William, gets pinned by the closing doors.

“Before he could move away from the bus, the doors closed in on him, pinching him against the bottom step with his feet out,” Tappen said. “He was dragged the length of a school bus.”

It happened outside the family’s home.

Derek Tappen's sons, William is on the right. (Submitted)

“I immediately started screaming for the bus to stop,” Tappen said. “I think some of the kids heard me, and they made a large racket as well that caused the bus driver to stop.”

William was left with some scrapes, but his father says the greatest impact has been emotional.

“He doesn’t want to get back on the school bus for any reason,” Tappen said. “So I have been driving him and picking him up everyday.”

Tappen is calling for safety changes in response to the incident and wants sensors installed on school bus doors.

CTV News has learned the same bus company is also investigating what it called “a similar event” in the same area earlier this fall.

The company called the incidents a “major issue” and said it has launched a “crisis management program” in response.