VIDEO: Kentucky student nearly hit by SUV while getting off school bus

FRANKFORT, Ky. (WKYT/Gray News) – A driver is facing charges after a high school student was nearly hit by a vehicle while getting off a school bus.

The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office said it happened Monday as a ninth grader was getting off the bus.

Video from inside the bus shows the student getting off the bus, and a split second after he gets away from the bus, the vehicle goes by, nearly hitting him.

Franklin County Schools Superintendent Mark Kopp said the bus’s stop arm was out, and the lights were flashing, but the SUV continued to drive by.

“School bus stop arms are there for a reason. And we can’t have people putting convenience over safety. And, unfortunately, that is what happens,” Kopp said.

Authorities said the driver of the SUV, Mark Kendall, was charged with improper passing and passing a loading or unloading school or church bus.

The Franklin County School Transportation Director said during a recent study of bus stops, they were told of 18 cases of people ignoring the stop arms.

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