In Brewster, New York this week, a golden retriever named Bigo threw himself between his blind owner and an oncoming school bus, saving her life and earning himself a lifetime supply of ‘Good dog’s.
Audrey Stone, 62, and her service dog Bigo were crossing an intersection on Monday, but the bus driver says he didn’t see the pair. Witnesses say that when the bus got too close, the dog never even hesitated to protect its human. “The dog took a lot of the blow,” said Brewster Police Chief John Del Gardo. “And he did not want to leave her side. He stood right with her. He was there to save her.” Despite the actions of the hero dog, Stone suffered a broken elbow, three broken ribs, a fractured ankle, and received a cut to her head. Bigo’s right leg was sliced through to the bone. One witness said that it looked “like the dog tried to take most of the hit for her,” hurling himself between her and the bus. The injured woman was distraught over the fate of her loyal service dog, who stayed by her side throughout the entire ordeal. After the woman was taken to the hospital (no animals are allowed in ambulances), Bigo was treated by the same EMT’s and transferred to the Middlebranch Veterinary Clinic for surgery. His vets say Bigo will make a full recovery. The bus driver received a summons for failing to yield to a pedestrian and was given routine drug and alcohol testing. The school district that employs the driver will review his vehicle’s dashboard camera in their investigation. According to car crash lawyers, accident’s like Stone’s are shockingly common on U.S. roads, where one pedestrian is injured every seven minutes. Speaking from her hospital bed, Stone said that she missed her service dog, and was grateful to friends who arranged for Bigo’s care while they both recover. “There were 15 EMT’s and people all around her and the dog didn’t want to leave her side,” said witness Paul Schwartz. “He was flopping over to her and she didn’t want him to get away from her, either.” |