The parents of a Camden County, New Jersey boy killed after being run over by his school bus as his mother and brother looked on have filed a lawsuit in his death.
Edmond Bock IV was walking in front of his stopped bus along Aqua Lane in Atco on the morning of Jan. 6, 2014 when the driver unexpectedly began to move forward. The 6-year-old was pulled under the bus and his skull crushed.
The civil lawsuit filed against the Waterford Township Board of Education and their contracted bus company, Hillman's Bus Service, alleges the driver, who was substituting for the regular driver, had missed a turn earlier in the route and was moving quickly to get back on schedule.
The bus was facing the wrong direction than normal which forced Edmond Bock IV to walk in front, according to the lawsuit.
The Atco Elementary School first grader's mother, Candice, and younger brother, Ryan, were just steps away when he was pulled under the wheels. Candice Bock screamed and banged on the vehicle's side trying to get the driver to stop, but they kept going for some distance, according to the civil complaint.
The driver, who has yet to be identified, was later stopped by witness Anthony Lugo. He told NBC10 last year he chased after the bus in his car after giving Candice Bock his coat to cover up the boy's bloodied body.
The boy's father, Edmond Bock III, came home to find his son lying in the middle of the street.
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"Basically all I want to say to parents is make sure you go home and hug your kids tonight," the father said. "You don't know if they are gonna be there tomorrow or not."
The Bocks, who have since moved from their Atco home because of the trauma, contend the driver was negligent and that Edmund Bock IV's death should have been prevented. Ryan Bock, now 5-years-old, is too terrified to ride a school bus. They have requested a jury trial.
NBC10 has reached out to the Waterford Township Board of Education and Hillman's Bus Service for comment, but have yet to hear back.
The family is also pushing for new school bus regulations that would force the installation of sensors in buses notifying drivers when a child is walking near the vehicles.
