Driver faces charge after school bus struck a Waterbury student in May

January 2, 2025 | By Lisa Scagliotti

A bus driver who was operating a school bus that struck a Crossett Brook Middle School sixth grader last May has been cited to appear in court next month to face a criminal driving charge, according to Vermont State Police. 

Robert Little Tree, of West Hartford, is scheduled to appear in Washington County criminal court in Barre on Feb. 6 to answer to the charge of grossly negligent operation, Trooper Mae Murdock said in a Wednesday news release. 

State police and Waterbury Ambulance personnel respond after a child was hit by a school bus on Blush Hill Road in May. Photo by Gordon Miller

The charge stems from the May 15 incident on Blush Hill Road in Waterbury when a 2022 Freightliner Bus hit a 12-year-old student who was intending to board the bus around 8:30 a.m.

The bus was moving at approximately 5 mph when the youngster ran in front of the bus before it came to a complete stop, police explained after the incident. The morning was very foggy and the road was wet at the time the bus was making its stops. The incident happened near the intersection with Kimberly Lane and the lower stretch of Blush Hill Road was closed for about two and a half hours. 

The student was taken to Central Vermont Medical Center for “serious, but non-life-threatening injuries,” Murdock noted. 

Later that day, parent Shawn Taft said his son, Thoren, had a broken right elbow, a concussion, and “many cuts and bruises.” The child was sent home after being treated, Taft told Waterbury Roundabout in a message where he thanked community members for their notes of concern and support.

Immediately following the incident, Little Tree was placed on leave from his position as a driver with First Student bus company which operates the school buses for the Harwood Unified Union School District. Officials recently said he no longer is employed by the company or driving for the Harwood district. 

In this week’s press statement, Trooper Murdock said that Little Tree on Dec. 28 went to the Hartford Police Department where he was issued a citation for the charge of Grossly Negligent Operation. He is scheduled for a court hearing on Feb. 6 in Barre.

Little Tree at the time of the incident was 77, according to police. New information this week announcing the pending charge did not include specific reasons why his driving was deemed negligent. Details supporting charges typically are shared at court arraignments.