A distracted driver plowed into the back of a stopped school bus in New York while looking at his phone, sending six people to the hospital and leaving a teenage student frozen in shock just feet from the collision.
Caught on Camera: Teen Narrowly Escapes Disaster
Home surveillance footage captured the terrifying moment on May 7 when Joshua Smith, 35, rear-ended a school bus as 17-year-old Jeremiah Rutkowski walked toward it from his home. The video shows the truck, carrying two children, slamming into the bus while Smith’s attention remained fixed on his phone rather than the road ahead. Jeremiah jumped back as the impact occurred, visibly shaken by the near-miss that could have cost him his life.
Matt Rutkowski, Jeremiah’s father, rushed onto the porch immediately after the crash to comfort his son before running inside to call 911, according to WKTV. The teenager later described feeling paralyzed by shock as he processed how close he came to being struck. The footage serves as a stark reminder of the deadly consequences distracted driving poses to children at bus stops across America.
Six Injured, Driver Cited After Phone-Related Crash
Emergency responders transported four children and two adults to area hospitals following the collision. All six victims sustained minor injuries and received treatment. Smith also required medical attention for minor injuries before authorities issued him several traffic tickets for the incident. The crash highlights an ongoing crisis of distracted driving that continues to endanger school children nationwide, particularly during morning and afternoon bus routes when kids are most vulnerable.
Growing Epidemic of Phone-Related Crashes
The incident adds to mounting concerns about drivers using phones behind the wheel, especially near school buses and children. Law enforcement agencies across the country have intensified efforts to combat distracted driving, but crashes continue to occur with alarming frequency. Parents and school officials rely on drivers to obey traffic laws and pay attention when buses display stop signs and flashing lights. This collision serves as a wake-up call about the real-world dangers that occur when motorists prioritize their phones over the safety of children boarding and exiting school buses.
Probably all of us do it but it is very stupid
I don’t do it. THERE is NO call that is important that causes one to be GLUED TO THE PHONE!
How no one was killed is a miracle.
I don’t do it either. Way too dangerous!!!
PS. I don’t like to talk on the phone when I’m not driving!! I am a rare bird, but I hate talking on the phone.
I have that problem with talking on a phone. We don’t use the phone until we’re parked. I have trouble with both making and receiving phone calls.
A BRAIN IS A TERRIBLE THING TO WASTE!!!!! People have them, we all have one, but we DO NOT all use them. WHY NOT????? Is a text or a phone all worth more than our life????? Ahhhh, I think we NEED to seriously pay attention to the road and the traffic ahead, and yes focus on the many School Buses, b/c they are always stopping to pick up kids or drop children off… Hit one and you might wound up in jail for a long long time. Could injure them or kill somebody or hurt yourself for simply just NOT paying attention… DO NOT TEXT AND DRIVE!!! Get the kind where you can talk on the phone and its HANDS FREE…
Isn’t it TIME that we PAY ATTENTION and not be careless????? We can’t replace a LIFE… A bus yes, an automobile yes, but NOT a HUMAN…
There are laws, but with all the hoops the cops have to jump through to cite them, I wonder how many times they just say screw it!
DENNIS, Perhaps that may be b/c there is NO justice anymore…. To many dumb rules and not nearly enough that make sense…. We all surely have some Common Sense, but we DO NOT all use what we have… and the police should not have a job that disrupts what they are trying to do to improve the situations… We need people who make the rules and laws to use COMMON SENSE, FAIRNESS, JUSTICE AND NOT DISCRIMINATE…
I don’t do it and they should make the penalties a lot stiffer for those who do
BILL: I 100% AGREE.
Thank God I hate cell phones and never talk on the one I have for emergencies only which does no good since I almost never remember to take it when I leave the house.
NOT USING YOUR CELL PHONE ON THE HIGHWAY IS REALLY SMART, BUT NOT TAKING IT WITH YOU ALWAYS WHEN YOU LEAVE IS NOT AT ALL WISE. WHAT IF YOU ARE IN AN ACCIDENT AND IT MIGHT NOT BE YOUR OWN FAULT. WHAT IF YOU HAVE A HEART ATTACK (which can happen to anyone at ANY age)? WHAT IF YOU SEE AN ACCIDENT BUT THAT PERSON HAD HAD A BAD HEART ATTACK OR EVEN A STROKE AND YOU NEEDED TO USE YOUR PH. TO CALL 911 TO GET THAT PERSON HELP????? AFTER ALL WE ARE TO CARE ABOUT OTHERS B/C IT’S NICE IF THEY CARE ABOUT US… SERVE ONE ANOTHER… think ahead, think OUT OF THE BOX!!!
There are just entirely too many self centered morons on the roads these days.
You are 100 percent right!
What happened to the front of the bus?
Picture shows smashed front of school bus, article says driver on phone rearended bus
Thank you Jim, seeing the bus it was the front, I think this was another accident because it shows the vehicle that hit the bus as totaled and it was a truck and it was not totaled.
The part that got me, the article said the cops issued him tickets are you kidding that should have been arrest, booked and jail time with people in hsp.