VA 6-Year-Old Takes Family Car After Missing Bus

Having missed his bus, a 6-year-old Virginia boy tried to drive to school in his family’s sedan - and crashed.

By Gabe Travers | Executive Producer
Published: January 6, 2009

WICOMICO CHURCH, Va. (AP) - Having missed his bus, a 6-year-old Virginia boy tried to drive to school in his family’s sedan - and crashed.

State police say the boy suffered only minor injuries and eventually arrived at school after being evaluated at a local hospital. Police did not immediately return a call Tuesday asking who brought him there.

It happened around 7:40 a.m. Monday on Route 360, about 61 miles east of Richmond.

Police say the boy, who wasn’t identified, missed the bus, took the keys to his family’s 2005 Ford Taurus and started toward school while his mother was asleep.

He ran off the road several times before hitting an embankment and utility pole. Police say he wasn’t wearing a safety belt.

The incident remains under investigation.