Bus Driver Loses Job After Saving Stranded New York Detectives
A Long Island school bus driver helped three Nassau County police detectives during a hail storm last week and it turns out that his good deed cost him his job, according to WNBC-TV.
George Daw was driving a mini-bus carrying a teenage passenger on Aug. 1 as golf ball-size hail and torrential rain came down in New Hyde Park.
He encountered a stalled unmarked police cruiser on Hillside Avenue that was carry the detectives and was beginning to fill with water.
They told Daw: "You've got to help us. You've got to get us to the third precinct. We're police officers."
He moved the teen to the back of his vehicles and let the detectives on board.
"I felt this was something anyone would do under the circumstances," he told the news station. "I felt they were in danger."
Educational Bus Transport of Copiague terminated Daw after he filed the report.
The company said he violated policy prohibiting drivers from picking up unscheduled passengers.
"We have policies and procedures in place to ensure the safety of the children we transport," Vice-President Tim Flood told WNBC-TV. "When these policies and procedures are not followed, we will address them in an appropriate manner."
He added that Daw was not terminated solely because of his decision to pick up the detectives, but would not elaborate.
Nassau County Lt. Raymond Cote commended Daw for his actions and said it was unfortunate that he was fired.
"It's sad when we heard his good deed cost him his job," he said.
