In Hoxie, Kansas, a bus driver finished her regular school day driving and parked her vehicle on her driveway on Monday, October 28. What the driver didn't know at the time is that five-year-old Lane Meitl, a kindergartener, fell asleep on her bus's seats and, six hours later, woke up, finding himself trapped inside the vehicle.
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Lane's grandmother, Leta Meitl, spoke to KWCH, expressing disbelief for his grandson's situation. "How could that happen?", she told the outlet. "You count three getting off the bus. You count three getting on the bus. It's not rocket science." Lane Meitl ended up trapped inside the bus after the driver's dropoff route finished, spending hours inside the vehicle before waking up to find himself trapped.
Thankfully, weather conditions were not extreme either way at the time, meaning that he managed to survive the ordeal. However, who knows what could have happened if the conditions were any different. Spending hours inside a hot car could lead to a fatal outcome, especially for a five-year-old.
A Harrowing Experience
More than anything else, Leta was heartbroken by the experience Lane had to go through. "I cried. I just kept wondering what was going on in his little mind," she said. Thankfully, the family did receive support, and Lane's mother, Taylor, shared the same sentiment online. "Hoxie has been very kind to us about this and continuing to support us," Taylor stated. "We do love Hoxie and are very grateful for the school district."
The Hoxie School District would later address the situation by issuing a statement. "We learned that a student had been left on a school bus for a portion of the school day," reads the statement, according to the Daily Mail. "Thankfully, the student was not harmed, and we are continuing to support the family."
Following the incident, the school district confirmed that the bus driver was no longer employed. However, the Meitl family still are looking for answers. Particularly, Lane Meitl hopes that more security protocols are enforced to ensure the passenger's safety. "It takes less than 10 seconds to walk to the back and back to the front of the bus," she said.
