How It All Started..

Danuta Begay, a 13-year-old student in Arizona was run over by her school bus in 2001. News reports said the bus dragged her about 20 feet before the driver realized what had happened. Danuta would eventually lose her right leg. Hearing the distressing news report of the accident, a close friend of AlertStar's Founders asked if we could do something to prevent such tragedies from happening to other children.

The journey began...

Our research showed that approximately 20 students lose their lives each year from being run over by their own school bus or from being struck by a vehicle that passed their school bus illegally while the stop arm was extended. In addition, thousands of others are injured and hospitalized. Typically it is the very young child in the early grades who are run over by their bus. They simply do not have threat avoidance 'hard wired' into their assessment and decision-making processes.

It was a direct result of Danuta's tragic accident that a small, dedicated team with strong support from the local community, came together to find a way to help reduce these preventable accidents which victimize children and seriously affects their families and friends.