Safety call after girl falls out of school bus window

Pupils from St Kevin's College were attending a Mass to celebrate the opening of the school

The mother of a schoolgirl who was badly injured when she fell out of a school bus window has called for more checks on Education Authority buses.

Nuala McBrien from Lisnaskea, County Fermanagh, said her daughter's accident "should never have happened".

Aiobheann McBrien, 16, was travelling to St Kevin's College, Lisnaskea, when she stood up, the bus window collapsed and she was thrown on to the road.

She was found lying on the grass verge by the school's principal, Gary Kelly.

Aiobheann was left with 17 stitches in her ear, staples in her head, cuts, bruising and pain all over her body.

The incident on 11 September was first reported by the Fermanagh Herald newspaper.

'A lot of pain'

Mrs McBrien told BBC News NI that Aiobheann was recovering well at home but is still in a lot of pain.

"She was at the doctor's yesterday and they could only remove seven of her stitches, as the rest aren't healed up enough," she said.

"Hopefully they will come out in her next doctor's appointment. She had staples in her head and she has them all removed.

"Her back and body are still very, very, sore. Her face is all cut and grazed but they are healing up and thank God all her wounds will heal.

"But she's been lucky," she added.

'More checks needed'

However Mrs McBrien and her daughter both had questions as to how and why the incident happened.

"It was an awful shock for the family because something like that, you don't expect it to happen, travelling in a school bus full of children," she said.

"How or when she could fall out? We just can't understand it.

"Mr Kelly (school principal) had hired a bus from the education board to bring the children to Mass.

"They were travelling back from and were going round a corner and it just happened that Aiobheann must have stood up at that time.

"She said she stood up to say something to her friend who was on a back seat.

"The next thing she was gone. She does not even remember going out through the window. "

By chance, Mr Kelly was travelling on another bus and saw a person lying at the side of the road.

The incident happened on the Knocks Road, near Lisnakea

"He saw the window of the bus lying near or enough beside her," said Mrs McBrien.

"Aiobheann is a twin and they didn't know if it was her or Caitlin and as she started to come round he asked which twin it was? We think she was knocked out.

"We are very very concerned that the like of that could happen on a school bus and we are wondering how often these buses are checked and what checks are being done?

She added: "There should be bars or something on the inside of the bus.

"It definitely shouldn't have happened and it's a miracle she came off so well."

'No force put on it'

Aiobheann told the BBC she was "recovering well" but still had a very sore back.

"I'm lucky that I can't remember falling out - I can only remember just before and waking up at the scene, with Mr Kelly standing over me.

"The ambulance came shortly after."

Aiobhheann said she felt lucky to be alive, but echoed her mother's concern about the buses.

"They need to be checked more," she said. "Really, the window should never have come out - there was no force put on it."

In a statement given to the BBC when the incident was first reported, the Education Authority said it was investigating the circumstances of the incident, but that it would be "inappropriate to comment further at this stage".

A spokesperson said the incident was unprecedented, and not related to an emergency exit on the bus.

The Education Authority has been contacted for further comment following the McBrien's interview.