Disabled girl, 7, died improperly strapped on school bus

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 15 Nov, 00:13 · Archive

A seven-year-old disabled girl died on a Cincinnati school bus after a seatbelt compressed her neck when she was not properly strapped in.

Seven-year-old Ngone Talla, a nonverbal student with cerebral palsy and developmental disabilities who used a wheelchair, died on her school bus in Cincinnati on 16 September. The Hamilton County Coroner's Office ruled her death accidental, caused by positional asphyxiation. According to the autopsy report, Ngone's body moved in the wheelchair due to her disability symptoms, causing her to slip off the seat. This caused the five-point seatbelt fitted to her wheelchair to compress her right neck and chin.

Shortly after her death, Cincinnati Public Schools Superintendent Shauna Murphy sent an email to the school board stating that the bus driver and monitor had not strapped Ngone in appropriately. 'I spoke with John Kenning from First Student. He shared the driver and the monitor on the bus did not strap her on appropriately, causing her death,' Murphy wrote.

Bus company First Student disputed this characterisation. The company said that no investigation had taken place when the superintendent made her statement, and that her assessment did not reflect the circumstances or the coroner's findings. Ngone's family discovered her unresponsive on the bus after it arrived at their home and noticed the vehicle sitting idle for an unusual length of time.

How it is being reported

• Bus staff didn’t properly strap in Ohio special needs student, 7, ‘causing her death’: report“I spoke with Mr. John Keening from First Student. He shared the driver and monitor on Ngone’s bus did not strap her on appropriately, causing her death,” Superintendent Shauna Murphy wroteNew York Post · 15 Nov, 00:05
• Email reveals disabled girl, 7, who died on school bus was not properly buckled by care staffA Cincinnati Public School email has revealed a seven-year-old disabled girl who died on a school bus was not properly strapped in her seat by the bus driver.Daily Mail · 14 Nov, 20:35

In this story: Ngone Talla · Shauna Murphy · Cincinnati Public Schools · First Student · Cincinnati · Ohio

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