Brayden Callahan Obituary, Death; – An RSU-13 school bus driver is currently on administrative leave following a tragic incident involving a student pedestrian who had just disembarked from his school bus and subsequently passed away. The matter is still under investigation.
On November 21 at approximately 2:20 p.m., Rockland Police and Rockland Maine Fire & Rescue EMS responded to a vehicle-pedestrian collision at an intersection. The Rockland Maine Police Department reported that the incident involved an RSU-13 student who was hit by a school bus. The student was airlifted to the hospital with life-threatening injuries. Local media identified the student as 12-year-old Brayden Callahan, who died on Friday.
STN contacted the Rockland Police Department for further details but had not received a response at the time of this writing. Local media indicated that preliminary information from the police suggested that school bus driver Jeffery Colburn, 65, did not see the student. Reports indicate that Callahan had just exited the bus and was entering the crosswalk when Colburn drove into the street.
Video evidence reportedly shows that the crossing arm was not activated at the time, the driver was leaning excessively to the right in his seat, and that the bus initially ran over Callahan with the front passenger-side tire, followed by the two rear passenger-side tires.
RSU-13 Superintendent John McDonald communicated in a letter to parents on Sunday that the school bus involved in the incident has been taken out of service and a substitute driver has been assigned to transport students on that specific route.
“We have been collaborating with the [Maine] Department of Education to implement a plan for a replacement bus to be operational in our fleet shortly, and we are grateful for their prompt assistance in this matter,” McDonald stated, adding that counselors are available along the route and at the school.
Rockland Police Chief Carroll mentioned in a Facebook post that the investigation will be extensive due to the complexity of the crash and the number of passengers on board who witnessed the event.
