The teenager's father told us about the incident. According to his account, on February 26, before 4:00 p.m., his 13-year-old son was traveling by public transport. Another teenager was also a passenger on the bus. The father said that when the bus driver was turning toward the terminal stop on Gałczyńskiego Street, at the so-called loop, near the Zespół Szkół Budowlanych, he suddenly made a sharp braking maneuver. His son was preparing to leave the bus at the time:
When his son saw that the bus was beginning to turn, he stood up, grabbed the handrail and lifted his backpack. At that moment, the driver braked sharply, and his son simply lost his balance, fell backward helplessly and hit his head. Did he hit some corner in the bus, a handrail, or was the wound simply caused by the floor? All of this will become clear once the monitoring footage is secured and reviewed.
8 stitches, examinations and observation
The fall caused an approximately 10-centimeter-long, bleeding laceration on the 13-year-old's head. The other teenager traveling on the bus also reportedly lost his balance, but managed to avoid falling by leaning against the area designated for wheelchairs. According to the 13-year-old's father, the bus driver did not react to what had happened:
After hitting his head, fortunately, his son did not lose consciousness. The first thing he said was that he grabbed the back of his head, saw blood on his hands and looked at the bus driver. The driver, he says, did not even turn to look in his direction.
The frightened 13-year-old, with a bleeding head wound, managed to get home from the bus. On the way home, he tried to stop the bleeding himself by pressing his hood against the wound. When he reached home, his father, seeing what had happened, also tried to stop the bleeding from his son's head and called an emergency medical team at the same time. The injured teenager was taken to the hospital in Bolesławiec, where he received treatment.
The wound on his head was bleeding and required stitches. At the hospital in Bolesławiec, eight stitches were placed and the necessary examinations were performed. The boy was then taken to a hospital in Legnica for observation. As a result of the incident, the teenager suffered serious harm to his health. He is now home, but still requires treatment from specialist doctors. He is also afraid of traveling by bus.
The boy's father: the driver did not even look in the mirror
The man does not understand the bus driver's behavior or his failure to react to what happened:
(...) The driver did not even turn around or look in the mirror, which is his duty, because it is known that any driver—whether of a tram, city bus or coach—has the right to brake sharply. Yes, that is normal. He is a road user, but after every such braking maneuver he should at least look in the mirror to see whether anyone has been hurt. He should ask: hello, did something happen? Is everything all right? Then we continue. And if something did happen: please wait, I am interrupting the service and calling the emergency services, the police and an ambulance; in my opinion, only as the final step should he call the dispatcher to inform them that there has been an accident, etc.
Comment from the Municipal Transport Company on the incident
Urszula Dzięgiel, Head of Operations Department, MZK Sp. z o.o. in Bolesławiec:
I confirm that on February 26, 2025, at approximately 4:00 p.m., a teenage boy fell on bus route 11. As the driver approached the intersection of Jana Pawła II and Gałczyńskiego streets, he had to yield the right of way and braked, causing the boy, who was standing up from his seat, to fall onto the floor. The boy immediately got up but did not inform our driver about anything. The driver did not notice the situation because he was focused on entering the intersection safely. After leaving the intersection, the driver traveled several more meters and safely stopped the bus at the Gałczyńskiego stop and opened the doors. The boy then got off and ran in the direction of Jana Pawła II Street. The driver no longer had any opportunity to ask the boy whether everything was all right or to provide him with any assistance.
Police on the incident
Subcommissioner Anna Kublik-Rościszewska, Press Officer of the Bolesławiec County Police Headquarters:
I confirm that on February 27 we received a report concerning a situation on a city bus that had occurred the previous day and involved a minor. Explanatory proceedings are being conducted in a case concerning an offense under Article 86 § 1 of the Code of Petty Offenses; as part of the proceedings, the monitoring footage has, among other things, been secured.
Comment from the injured party's representative
The case is also being handled by Zbigniew Zawada, owner of Biuro Ronin, a compensation specialist and representative of the injured party. Here is his comment:
The minor's father contacted us and described an incident in which his son lost his balance and fell during sudden braking by an MZK bus on Gałczyńskiego Street, suffering extensive head trauma with heavy bleeding from the back of his head. According to the Injured Party's account, aside from the incident itself, the behavior of the bus driver is unclear. Although he allegedly saw the passenger fall and the heavy bleeding—the traces on the pavement near the stop are still visible—he did not provide any assistance, and the boy reached home on his own, covered in blood. In this situation, the driver's liability arises not only from fault but also from the principle of risk associated with putting a vehicle into operation. I assume that the police conducting the explanatory proceedings will obtain the recording from the cameras on the bus and that all the circumstances will be clarified.
