AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) - A judge is granting bail to a Georgia school bus driver who was charged with a felony after a girl was struck by another vehicle.
The Augusta Chronicle reported Richmond County Magistrate Judge Stephen Shepard on Friday set bail of $3,500 for 35-year-old Talunda E. Martin Smith.
She was arrested Monday on a charge of second-degree cruelty to children. Smith is accused of failing to activate flashing lights or stop signs on the bus until after the girl was hit on Dec. 16.
According to a warrant read by Shepard, Smith is accused of causing a child cruel or excessive pain through negligence. The 12-year-old girl suffered a collapsed lung, a broken arm and cracked ribs, Shepard said.
The girl was struck by an SUV and dragged about 100 feet (30 meters). The driver of the SUV has not been charged.
Smith told the judge Friday she is married with seven children. When asked if she knew if she could get her job back, Smith responded: “I don’t know if I ever want to drive again.”
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