Georgia School Bus Driver Helps Rescue 14-Year-Old Girl from Dog Attack: 'A Wonderful Man'

A bus driver helped fend off a Rottweiler that was attacking a teenage girl early Wednesday in Griffin, Georgia, as she and her brother waited for their school bus.

Fourteen-year-old Alexis Johnson was with her 12-year-old brother on Anglin Road when the dog attacked her, WSB-TV reported.

Neighbor Samantha Nations, who comforted the victim, said the girl’s wounds were deep and there was blood everywhere at the scene. Emergency crews soon arrived and transported the teen to a local hospital while Animal Control officers were able to capture the dog.

According to Nations, the girl’s brother was slightly hurt when he tried to fend off the dog and the bus driver also fought with the animal to rescue the girl.

“He got bit himself. But it was more the bus driver,” Nations said, telling reporters the bus driver was “a wonderful man.”

“A ‘young man who intervened’ to defend the girl was also injured, county officials said in a press release. County officials did not give his age, but according to Spalding County Schools he was another student on the bus,” according to Atlanta News First (ANF).

The Rottweiler that was owned by a neighbor had reportedly escaped from a fenced area when the attack happened, and it is now in county custody, ANF noted.

County Manager Steve Ledbetter said animal’s owner will face charges in the case.

“Our foremost concern remains with this young lady, the young man who came to her aid, and their families. We ask our community to keep them in their prayers as they receive care and recover from this frightening incident. We also ask the public to respect the privacy of the individuals and families involved and to refrain from speculation as authorities continue to gather information regarding the circumstances surrounding the attack,” officials said.

Ledbetter told Fox 5 “We are especially grateful to the young man who placed himself in harm’s way to help the girl. Our thoughts and concern are with them and their families.”

The girl’s mother told WSB-TV she would undergo surgery. The extent of her injuries was unknown, but 11 Alive reported they were serious in nature.

Neighbors told ANF they had seen the dog wandering the area in the past, and one person, Lumpoun Tello, claimed it tried to break into her chicken coop.

“You never think that the dog is going to be there to attack a kid. You might think that maybe with livestock or chickens, dogs are going to try to get at the chickens, but never did I think that the dog was trying to get at a child,” Tello stated.