Child recovering from bus accident is brought home

Joshua Hall-Tennant, the four-year-old boy hit by an Onaway Community Schools bus January 9, was brought home Tuesday night by his mother April Tennant. Preliminary investigation of the accident indicated that Joshua walked out of a side door of his home instead of the front door, as is the usual procedure for the boy. The bus driver waited to see if the boy was coming out of the house and proceeded to the intersection.

The driver felt something unusual and stopped the bus immediately, got out to check, and found the boy lying in the street. The bus driver picked up the boy and rushed him inside his home and called 911, according to the Onaway Police Department report, by Chief James Gibson.

The day of the accident, Joshua was transported by Onaway Area Ambulance to Cheboygan Memorial Hospital where, after being accessed as in critical condition, he was flown by jet to DeVos Hospital in Grand Rapids.

According to his mother, April, Joshua?s face bones were fractured, he has a fractured skull and his left eye orbit is fractured. He has a bone fragment in his brain. The doctors were going to do reconstructive surgery on his face but have deci

ded to wait to see what the bone fragment will do. He had rods placed in his right femur, and his left hip and leg had metal plates with bolts inserted. His pelvis is fractured. He may need a hip replacement in the future. Joshua will be in a wheelchair for two to four months, depending on his physical therapy. The Presque Isle County Sheriff?s Department, Michigan State Police, Rogers City Concept Post and the Michigan State Police Motor Carrier Division assisted at the scene of the incident.

Onaway Area School students are putting together fund-raisers for both Joshua?s family and Erin Schoolcraft?s family.

The senior class is looking into having bottle drives and other fund-raisers. The freshmen class already has donated money.