A mother was demanding answers Friday, claiming the driver of a service bus left her son alone on a cold bus for roughly eight hours.
Source: http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/alsip-down-syndrome-man-service-bus-185120501.html#ixzz2H2IgkwI1
Greg Dunkin, who has Down syndrome, wasn't discovered until passengers boarded the bus to go home at the end of the day. The 33-year-old was still wearing his seat belt.
Dunkin has been transported by bus to the Sertoma Centre, an Alsip facility that provides support services for adults with disabilities, for more than five years. He got picked up Friday but never made it through the front doors of the building.
Yolanda Dunkin, a nurse, rushed to the facility when she got a call from staff alerting her to what happened.
"He didn't have anything to eat. He couldn't go to the bathroom. He was just strapped in one seat in the back, just sitting there," she said.
To make matters worse, Dunkin said it's not the first time her son has been left behind. A similar situation happened two years ago, she said.
"They put rules into place and they said it wouldn't happen again. They are supposed to call me if he doesn't show up. I never got a phone call to say he wasn't there,"
With this second incident, the mother said she plans to look for another care facility for her son.
"You have disabled adults that are being left on the van, in the cold, and they are getting away with it. This has happened too many times with him," she said.
Dunkin said the center told her the driver who left her son behind on Friday would be disciplined. She's also filed a police report, and Alsip police said the case is under investigation.
Attempts to reach staff at the Sertoma Centre were unsuccessful Friday.Source: http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/alsip-down-syndrome-man-service-bus-185120501.html#ixzz2H2IgkwI1
