A 16-year-old girl was trapped between the doors of a De Lijn school bus for several kilometres on Tuesday, Het Laatste Nieuws and VTM Nieuws reported on Wednesday.
The incident took place on line 503, between Steenokkerzeel and Kampenhout, in Flemish Brabant.
The girl boarded the bus on Tuesday morning, as usual, but as she was getting on, the doors closed, trapping one of her legs.
The bus then resumed its route. As the door that had blocked her leg was not fully closed, the girl was able to cling to the inner part of the door.
The vehicle travelled for about four kilometres before coming to a stop.
The girl sustained several minor injuries. Her parents have announced that they intend to file a complaint.
“We take this very seriously and deeply regret the incident,” a spokesperson for De Lijn said. “We have made contact with the driver concerned through a subcontractor. He has an unblemished record and, according to his statement, he stopped immediately when he became aware of the situation.”
The subcontractor responsible for the school transport service is conducting a technical investigation. “The doors are typically fitted with safety mechanisms, so we wish to understand what happened and why, to prevent this from reoccurring,” the utility said.
