A 6-year-old boy was saved by a stranger after he accidentally got off at the wrong bus stop
Colton Franklin from Cypress, Texas took a bus to school and was very excited for his first day back after months of remote learning. However, things took a turn for the worst when the six-year-old accidentally got off at the wrong stop, reports Goal Cast. His elder brother Gavin, who was waiting for him at the right bus stop, sensed something was wrong when Colin did not show up. He immediately called his mother, Arlene Lightfoot-Franklin. She then contacted the school, who directed her to the transportation provider. She contacted the Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District's Transportation Department but got no information about her son's whereabouts, per Amomama.
Arlene spoke to KHOU 11, "Where is he? The school doesn’t know. The transportation doesn’t know. So we were just riding around, looking for him. I didn’t know where I was going. I just knew I would take the route to the school.” On the other hand, Colton had no idea about where he was or the way to go back home. Kim, a resident of the neighborhood, was driving past with her children when she noticed him racing down the street. She shared on Facebook, "I got out of my car and asked him what happened. He was so very brave and told me he was dropped off at the wrong stop and he didn’t know where he was." She further stated that "he had a green sticker on his shirt."
The sticker did not have a contact number but an address was clearly mentioned. Kim further wrote, "I put the address in my phone so I could find how to get to this house, come to find out, it was .5 miles away from where we were." Kim along with the help from her kids convinced Colton to ride with them to his house. She reached the address and rang the doorbell, which sent a notification to his mother's phone. Arlene hurried home and was relieved to see that her son was safe and sound.
Arlene posted the incident on Facebook and Nextdoor in the hope that her neighbors would assist her in locating the person who bought her son back home. During the same week, with the help of Kim's daughter's kindergarten teacher, she was able to contact Arlene after seeing her post on Nextdoor. Kim wrote in her post, "We are now friends on Facebook and I hope to continue to watch Colton grow up and be the best person he can be!!! Dream big, Colton, and change the world. I will be a cheerleader for you!!!" Arlene is extremely grateful for Kim's kindness, she told KHOU 11, "There’s nothing that we can do to repay her. Like, she didn’t have to stop. She could’ve gone on about her day. But she took the time to notice a little boy in trouble."
She added, "Especially in this climate that we’re going through. Coronavirus. Everything. She took the time and risked her family being exposed to a stranger. She gave me a hug, knowing I’m a stranger.”