Town members from Brownstown township in Wayne County, Michigan are drawing together funds to help a local school bus driver after she was involved in a serious bus accident that resulted in both of her legs being amputated.
Lesley Banks-Daniels, 44, was a bus driver for the Flat Rock school district in Wayne County for many years. She was severely injured in an accident on 21st February 2013, when she was pinned against a guardrail by a bus at her bus depot.
According to reports from the local police department, Banks-Daniels was working at the district’s bus depot in Flat Rock, at 28639 Division Street, when a bus approaching the depot mounted the curb, pinning her against the guardrail at the depot.
Her legs, which were trapped between the front end of the bus and the guard rail, sustained severe trauma and later had to be amputated. The amputation means the end of Banks-Daniel’s career as a bus driver, and has been extremely difficult for her to come to terms with, according to her friends and family.
In order to help raise funds for Banks-Daniels’ rehabilitation process, the Brownstown community is hosting a fund raising event at Joe’s Prime Time Pub, 27845 Fort St at 3pm on March 23rd. Events that have been planned include a prize draw, gift basket give aways and raffles with a wide range of prizes. Notably, $1000 worth of tattoos by talented tattoo artists at New Skool Tattoos have been donated as prizes and will be raffled off during the evening. In addition, local band the Hand Grenades will be entertaining the guests with live music from 7pm.
To keep the wolves at bay, a dinner of fine Italian fare including pizza, salad, fresh bread and mostaccioli will be served. Guests are able to bring their own dessert and wine at no extra cost if they so wish.
Entry into the event, including dinner, is $10 per person, with children under 10 years able to enter for free.
Banks-Daniels and her family have extended their gratitude and heartfelt appreciation to the community for the effort put into this fund raising event, and hope that the funds raised can be used to allow Banks-Daniels to regain maximum function and independence following this tragic accident.
It is not yet clear whether Banks-Daniels will be pressing charges against the driver of the bus that struck her.