A 6-year-old girl from New Jersey died on her way to school after she was reportedly choked by the school bus harness used to secure her wheelchair. According to reports, the bus monitor, whose job it is to ensure the safety of the kids on the bus, was unaware of what was going on until nearly 20 minutes after the girl started to struggle.
Fajr Atiya Williams was seated at the back of the school bus.
According to ABC News, 6-year-old Fajr was on her way to school on July 17. During the early moment of the ride, the bus hit a few bumps, which caused Fajr, who is nonverbal, to slump in her wheelchair.
"A series of bumps in the road caused the 6-year-old to slump in her wheelchair seat, making the 4-point harness which secured her to the chair to become tight around her neck, ultimately blocking her airway," the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office shared in a statement.
Surveillance on the bus apparently shows Fajr struggling while the bus monitor was looking at her phone.
Video footage on the school bus shows bus aid Amanda Davila, 27, reportedly busy looking at her phone instead of ensuring the safety of the students on the bus, according to NJ.com.
At 8:46 a.m, after the series of bumps further tightened the harness around Fajr's neck, she "struggled violently for her life, flailing her arms and legs," NJ.com reported.
"On at least two occasions, (the girl) made a shriek or gasp and at one point kicked the window of the bus, according to the news outlet.
The young girl then lost consciousness.
It wasn't until the school bus arrived at the school, however, that anyone knew something was wrong. Davila went to remove the floor restraints on the wheelchair — more than 14 minutes after the 6-year-old lost consciousness, and she realized something was wrong and called for help for Fajr.
"At 9:02:58 a.m. a teacher entered the bus and tended to (Fajr) but appeared to not yet realize the dire nature of the situation," NJ.com reported.
"At 9:04:00 a.m. the teacher stated that she was unsure if (Fajr) was breathing. At that point, additional staff was summoned onto the bus and CPR began at 9:06:40 a.m."
Fajr was taken to the hospital, where she remained in intensive care before she was pronounced dead on two days later, authorities said.
The bus monitor has been charged with manslaughter.
According to prosecutors, Davila, who has been a bus monitor for seven years, violated policies and procedures by using her phone and earbuds on the ride to school. She's been charged with second-degree manslaughter and second-degree endangering the welfare of a child.
If found guilty of the manslaughter and child endangerment charges, Davilla could spend five to 10 years in jail, ABC News reported.
Fajr's mom, Najmah Nash, is demanding justice for her daughter.
"My daughter's passing could have and should have been prevented," she said, per ABC News. "This was purely due to neglect and policies and procedures being disregarded."
"She was just a vibrant kid, she was so happy. Her eyes were big and brown. And she would just draw you in just looking at her," she continued. "Although she was nonverbal, I believe she talked through her eyes.
"I want the world to know that I, Najmah Nash, will not back down. I will not stop fighting for change," the grieving mom shared, according to the news outlet. "And I will assure you with every fiber of my being to make sure that change comes and it comes now, and swiftly because I don't want no other family to feel the way I feel right now."
"My daughter, she can't speak, she's helpless," said her father, Wali Williams, according to WABC per ABC News. "She can't even take the harness off on her own, she can't even take the seat belt off. The only thing she can do is move her arms."
"She didn't have oxygen in her brain for almost 40 minutes. Do you understand the image that we got in our head of our daughter the last time that we seen her? What we had to go through?" he said, per NBC 4.
