Pinay in UAE, fellow defendants blame each other for death of child in school bus

A Filipina and four fellow defendants blamed each other before a United Arab Emirates court for the death of a four-year-old private school kindergarten pupil who was left inside a school bus last year.

Lawyers of the OFW bus attendant, bus driver, Lebanese supervisor, school president and Indian owner of the bus blamed each other for negligence, Gulf News reported late Wednesday.

The Court of Misdemeanors is handling the case of the death of former Al Worood Academy Private School pupil Nizaha Ala’a, who died inside a school bus after being left inside.

A verdict is expected on May 11.

Court records showed the child died from heat exhaustion and had internal head injuries likely from banging her head on a solid object.

An initial investigation showed the pupil was left behind by the school bus driver for about four hours after the bus arrived at the school.

The Filipina bus attendant admitted to prosecutors she had failed to walk to the back of the bus to check for any pupils who may have been left behind.

But during the court session, the defense team for the Indian transport company owner insisted their client was innocent, saying the buses owned by their client followed regulations and were licensed.

Also, the defense team indicated the Abu Dhabi Education Council does not have in place a system for school buses, adding that it is the responsibility of the Department of Transport.

Meanwhile, the lawyer for the OFW, who claimed she was opposed to working as a bus attendant, pointed out the school had resorted to money-saving techniques by hiring a cleaning staff to take on added responsibilities she may not be trained for.

Thus, the lawyer argued it was the school’s responsibility.

When asked by the judge, the Filipina said she had refused to take on the job of bus attendant at first and requested the school to adhere to its contractual agreement. But she agreed when the school insisted.

On the other hand, the lawyer for the Lebanese supervisor and the school’s South African principal contested the claim.

The lawyer said the Filipina is a graduate familiar with the duties of a bus attendant and that she had frequently accompanied students aboard buses.

As for the bus driver’s lawyer, he reminded the court his client was not responsible for keeping a watch on the students aboard the bus.

The lawyer said the bus driver's duties would be limited to driving the students to and from school.

Earlier, the driver said he was prohibited from making contact with the students and that the job of ensuring the bus was empty fell to the bus attendant. — Joel Locsin/LBG, GMA News

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