Salem Teen's Wheelchair Tips On School Van: SPS Vows Retraining

SALEM, MA — Salem Public Schools said school van staff retraining is underway after a teen girl was injured last week when her wheelchair tipped over on the way to school.

WHDH-TV reported that 17-year-old Alisha Santiago was rushed to the hospital after her head was split open in the tumble. Santiago's mother, Jessica Jimenez, told the station that her daughter tried to alert the van monitor that the chair was not secure.

"This was an unfortunate event that occurred on one of the Salem Public Schools-owned buses last week," the superintendent's office said in a statement to Patch. "In meeting with the family, we let them know that our investigation revealed that the child was not strapped in correctly for their ride to school.

"Retraining is occurring for staff responsible for ensuring that all of our students are properly prepared to ride the bus."

The statement said that because of privacy laws the district is unable to share any additional details about the incident.

Jimenez told the station that Santiago was treated at the hospital and released, but that she is now afraid of riding the school bus and has no way to get to school because the family's wheelchair-accessible van is getting repaired.

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(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)