A tragic incident in New Jersey has led to the arrest of a school bus monitor after a 6-year-old girl with special needs died due to a fatal choking incident. The monitor, Amanda Davila, failed to notice that the harness securing the child to her wheelchair had tightened around her neck. The authorities have charged Davila in connection with the incident, which occurred earlier this week.
Amanda Davila, a 26-year-old resident of New Brunswick, was taken into custody by the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office following the death of the young girl. The incident took place on Monday when authorities responded to a call about an unresponsive juvenile at a local school. Despite the efforts of officers who performed CPR, the child was later pronounced dead at a nearby hospital’s intensive care unit.
According to the investigation conducted by the county prosecutor’s office, the child, who had special needs, was seated in her wheelchair at the back of the bus on her way to school. Davila, assigned as the school bus monitor, had secured the wheelchair. However, during the journey, the child slumped in her wheelchair due to bumps on the road. This caused the 4-point harness, which was meant to keep her secure, to tighten around her neck, ultimately blocking her airway.
Davila was seated towards the front of the bus and was using her cellphone while wearing earbud headphones, both of which were violations of the school’s policies and procedures. It was during this time that the child became unresponsive. Davila was arrested without incident at the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office on Wednesday. She now faces charges of second-degree manslaughter and second-degree endangering the welfare of a child.
The Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office is continuing its investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident. The school district is also cooperating fully with the authorities. The focus now is on ensuring justice for the young victim and her family, as well as implementing measures to prevent similar tragedies in the future.