Mom Josephine Kirk-Taylor caught the moment her own 5-year-old daughter was nearly struck by an oncoming vehicle on video.
In a now-viral Facebook post, Kirk-Taylor explained that August 28 was the first day her daughter ever road the school bus. She got on in the morning, went off to school, and all was well.
However, things took a turn for the worst on Kirk-Taylor’s daughter trip home. The mom wrote:
…When she came home today as I was waiting with her siblings at the same spot she was picked up from, I had no idea that she would be dropped off on the opposite side of the street.
Kirk-Taylor explained that because this was a significant milestone for her daughter, she took out her phone to take a video of the 5-year-old stepping off the bus for the first time.
‼️‼️ So today was my daughters first day riding the school bus. As we waited for the bus to arrive to pick her up this…
Posted by Josephine Kirk-Taylor on Wednesday, August 28, 2019
The mom had no idea she would catch the moment her daughter was nearly struck by an oncoming vehicle:
Before letting her off the school bus the bus driver put up her stop signs and let my daughter off the bus. There was a careless driver speeding and also breaking the law not stopping at the school bus stop sign so that my daughter could cross the street. As my daughter was about to cross the street this blue Toyota almost ran her over.
Shortly after the near-accident took place, Kirk-Taylor called the police. However, the mom writes that she was told, “they were unable to do anything,” even though she was able to get the blue Toyota’s license plate number.
Kirk-Taylor shared the driver’s information so that her “community can protect our children at all times. I asked that we please follow the law, especially when it comes to children at all times.”
Now, according to the Stamford Advocate, the driver of the blue Toyota has since been charged with reckless driving after he nearly hit Kirk-Taylor’s daughter.
In a press conference on September 11, Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo said he sent the mom’s video to the traffic crimes division after seeing the video himself. The traffic crimes division then headed an investigation.
The driver of the vehicle was identified as 18-year-old Julio Coreas. He was arrested on Tuesday and admitted to officers that he was the person driving when the 5-year-old was nearly struck.
Also during the press conference, Chief Acevedo admitted to “falling short” when it came to Kirk-Taylor’s initial call to the authorities.
‼️‼️‼️Justice For Melina has been served halfway ! Now just waiting on the Consequence of the officer who failed to make…
Posted by Josephine Kirk-Taylor on Thursday, September 12, 2019
In the video, you can hear the mom screaming in an attempt to get the driver to stop, but the blue car just keeps driving. However, as Acevedo believes, the mom’s reaction kept her daughter from crossing the street, therefore preventing a horrific accident.
Coreas could face up to 6-month in jail for the reckless driving charge against him.