SPRINGFIELD, Ky. (FOX 56) — The Washington County Sheriff’s Office warned the public after a child was nearly hit on Thursday afternoon by a driver who disregarded the stop arm sign extended by a school bus for the student’s safety.
A video posted on social media on Friday by the sheriff’s office shows the near-deadly moment around 3:30 p.m. on Aug. 26 when a car came within inches of striking a child as he was crossing Bardstown Road to head home.
Deputies wrote that the bus had its red lights flashing, with its stop arm fully extended to indicate that a child was crossing. The video shows that the bus had been fully stopped for nearly ten seconds with its stop arm extended when a vehicle approached in the opposite direction at high speed, nearly hitting the child, who jumped back when he saw the car coming.
The sheriff’s office wrote on Friday that the driver “completely disregarded the law” by speeding through the area without regard for the bus or the safety of the students and Washington County Schools staff on board.
“This reckless behavior is entirely unacceptable and puts innocent young lives at direct risk,” deputies said Friday morning. “In Kentucky, traffic in both directions must stop on a two-lane road when a school bus has its stop arm deployed.”
According to state law, drivers approaching a stopped school bus from either direction must stop when the bus displays its flashing red lights, with the stop arm extended. The law was newly applied to highways in July 2026.
Bardstown Road only has two lanes, divided by a single no-cross line.
Thursday’s near miss involving a student near a school bus came only days after a tragic Scott County crash where a 10-year-old was severely injured from allegedly being hit by a driver later identified as Ashley Parsons.