DETROIT (WXYZ) — Thirteen-year-old Zyair Harris was fatally struck by a vehicle, after he got off his school bus, trying to get home.
The tragedy hit last Wednesday around 4:40 p.m. Zyair was being dropped off around Nevada and Healy streets on the east side.
"That’s all we can do, and we are going to get through it together," said Zyair’s godmother, Micaah Neal who was comforting Zyair's mother, Cassandra Jones who still can’t believe that her little boy is gone.
"It’s the bus driver’s fault," said Cassandra Jones, Zyair's mother.
Zyair was struck by an oncoming vehicle, but investigators reveal that the fateful incident unfolded when the 65-year-old bus driver, Debra White, allegedly did not activate the bus’s stop sign and lights.
"My son was autistic, so you didn’t care, you just let him out, in the middle of the street. And then when he got hit, she pulled out, she saw him get hit and still pulled off," said Cassandra Jones, Zyair's mother.
Zyair later died in the hospital due to complications.
The bus driver who worked for ABC Student Transportation has been charged with Second-Degree Child Abuse and Failure to Stop at the Scene Resulting in Death.
"I’m glad we got justice for Zyair. Thank you for that," said Micaah Neal, Zyair's godmother.
Meanwhile, a memorial was held yesterday for Zyair with friends and family coming together to remember the lively boy that put a smile on everyone’s face.
ABC Student Transporation hasn't responded with a comment yet. But in the meantime, Zyair’s family is pleading with all drivers to slow down in residential neighborhoods because a tragedy like this could have easily been avoided if everyone would have followed traffic regulations.
