Arrest made after teen struck near Pendleton Co. High School, sheriff’s department says

PENDLETON COUNTY, Ky. (FOX19) - An arrest has been made after an 18-year-old student with special needs was struck by a car while attempting to board a school bus in front of his house near Pendleton County High School Monday morning, Pendleton County Sheriff’s Office said.

Lisa King, 46, dropped her child off to school around 7:30 a.m. when she reportedly drove around the bus and hit Sam Bryant.

The bus was stopped in front of Bryant’s house with its flashers activated and stop sign deployed. King drove past the bus on the right-side hitting Sam as he was boarding, said the sheriff’s office.

Sam’s mother, Jodi Bryant, says she was still on the porch when the bus driver blew the bus horn, which it does when a car does not stop for red lights.

“I think my heart was still on the porch as I was running to the road," Bryant said.

Pendleton County EMS took Sam to Children’s Hospital.

Bryant says her son suffered some scrapes to his knee but otherwise is all right.

The sheriff’s office says King is facing charges of wanton endangerment, assault and passing a loading school bus.

“I don’t know if she was distracted or daydreaming, but she just really wasn’t paying close attention and just made a very bad mistake,” Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Marty Hart said.

“Passing a bus on the right side, unless you don’t have breaks in your car, there’s no excuse for it,” Bryant added. “There’s no excuse for it.”

Though they live right across from the school, Bryant says there’s a reason she doesn’t just take Sam herself.

“The reason I let him ride the bus is because he loves the school bus,” she explained. “He’s nonverbal for the most part, but he can say ‘school bus’ and he loves the bus, and so, yes, it’s a 30-second bus ride, but I let him ride it because he likes it.”

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