UPI
NEW HYDE PARK, N.Y. — A New York state school bus driver said he was fired for giving a ride to a pair of police officers whose car had flooded during a hailstorm.
George Daw said he was driving the Educational Bus Transport of Copiague vehicle in New Hyde Park during a hailstorm Aug. 1 with a teenage passenger and a bus matron on board when he came across the unmarked police car filling with water, NBC New York reported Tuesday.
“They’re saying, you’ve got to help us, you’ve got to help us,” Daw said of the two police detectives in the car. “You’ve got to get us to the third precinct. We’re police officers.”
“I felt they were in danger,” Daw said.
The driver said he gave the detectives a lift to the station and filed a report with Educational Bus Transport, which fired him over the incident.
“We have policies and procedures in place to ensure the safety of the children we transport,” company vice president Tim Flood said.
“When these policies and procedures are not followed, we will address them in an appropriate manner,” Flood said. “This particular employee was not terminated solely because of the pick-up of unscheduled passengers.”
Copyright 2011 UPI