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The red Ford Mustang, a gift from Andrew Sipowicz's parents, was the solution to a dream. At Orchard Park, he was an outstanding pitcher of his high school baseball team. It was not quite four years ago, when it was accepted by Canisius College, his father promised that he would help Sipowicz to buy a car if his scholarships covered a sufficiently large part of his tuition fees.
Sipowicz, 21, has assembled everything. One day, he arrived at the family home to find a 2012 Mustang parked in the garage. It was the car that he had hoped to own since his childhood. He said that he was speechless. He could not believe that his father and mother would do such a thing for him.
On Monday afternoon, a school bus in Buffalo crashed against one of the sides of this parked car. The driver apparently chose to go away. This happened on Blaine Avenue, near a Meech Street apartment, which Sipowicz shares with several baseball teammates in Canisius.
One of them, Andrew Kneussle, was moving in his own car when he noticed that the bus, which was idling down the street, seemed to be very close to Sipowicz's vehicle. He sent a photo to Sipowicz of the bus and the car side by side, and Sipowicz asked Kneussle when he wanted to stop and talk with the driver.
Kneussle did it. While he told Sipowicz that the driver looked a little agitated, he added that she was giving him no indication that she would have damaged the Mustang.
Shortage of bus drivers causing problems at Buffalo schools
At the time, Sipowicz was relieved. Still, he thought he'd better take a look. In any case, he had to move the car to the other side of the street, for reasons of parking.
Once there, his stomach fell. He was stunned by the extent of the damage. The passenger side was lumpy and scratched. The bus had been gone for a long time. For many people, the immediate reaction would be fury.
Sipowicz responded differently. He noticed a piece of paper stuck under his wiper. Written in the neat and accurate handwriting of a child, the note read as follows:
"If you're wondering what's happening to your car … Bus: 449 hit your car."
The note explained how the bus "stop here every day to drop me off". The bus driver, reported the young writer, was trying to sneak into a space where there simply was not enough room.
"She made a breach and I saw what happened," wrote the child. "Sorry."
After some quick thinking, the kids drew a classic school bus, calling it "a bus that hits your car," and then identified themselves as sixth graders at Houghton Academy.
Andrew Sipowicz, launcher of Canisius College. (Photo submitted)
If Sipowicz felt any anger whatsoever, he went away when he read the message. A child who had no reason to be involved had made the decision to help, to let him know what had happened.
Sipowicz called First Student, the company that owns and operates the city's school buses in Buffalo. He said that the company's managers – who have experienced difficulties this year due to the late fall of the system and other problems caused by what the company describes as a shortage of drivers – have been receptive and helpful.
Indeed, First Student spokesman Chris Kemper said on Wednesday that the company would cover the damages while providing a rental vehicle to Sipowicz until the end of the repairs. Kemper said that the accident investigation is continuing and that First Student is already pursuing its "driver dismissal" project.
Elena Cala, Community Relations Manager for the Buffalo School District, said that district officials would make no comment until the end of First Student's investigation. Speaking in general, in order to protect the anonymity of the child who reported the incident, Cala wrote:
"We want all our students to be remarkable citizens. The district views "see something, say something" to protect one or more people so that they are a superb trait on every level. "
Sipowicz, for one, does not see the interest of fury. People make mistakes, he says, and he's not absolutely sure that she knows that she has hit his car or what thoughts could have been in his head. No one was injured and he does not provide for criminal prosecution.
"I really do not want anyone to have any problems," he said.
What he wants is to see his car repaired, which will happen. As for the girl, Sipowicz juxtaposed an image of her note with a picture of the damage, and then tweeted it on Tuesday. On Wednesday night, nearly 700,000 people had "enjoyed" it on Twitter.
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