A McGraw resident wants people to know the real dangers of not stopping for school buses. As our Elyse Mickalonis tells us, Lynda Libbey decided to reach out to YNN after seeing our coverage of Operation Safe Stop. She hopes her story will make people think twice before breaking the law.

  To view our videos, you need to
enable JavaScript. Learn how.
install Adobe Flash 9 or above. Install now.

Then come back here and refresh the page.

CORTLAND COUNTY, N.Y. -- It was 3:30 p.m. on September 14th, 1973. Eight-year-old Lynda Libbey was getting off the school bus in the Town of Dryden.

"The bus driver said we could safely cross the road and all of a sudden, a car that was in a hurry came out of line and hit me,” said Lynda Sheeder Libbey.

Libbey was hit so hard she landed nearly 90 feet away from where she had been standing, sending her into a two-week coma.

"From that I received a fractured skull and a broken femur,” said Libbey.

Libbey said she wanted to share her story with us after watching our coverage of Operation Hang Up recently. She hopes her message will convince law breakers to think twice.

"People should slow down and a pay attention to children,” said Libbey.

Libbey says her dream of becoming a doctor was shattered that day. She still suffers painful migraines and memory loss, among other things.

"I went to a neurologist. The MRI showed many disks that are herniated,” said Libbey.

Libbey says she wishes the fines for breaking the law were steeper, but hopes that overall people will just slow down.

"I just ask that people don't be texting on your cell phones, but please pay attention when you see a stopped school bus and don't take some other child's dream away from them. The way mine was taken from me,” said Libbey.
A simple stop that can make all the difference.