CALAMUS, Iowa — 9-year-old Noah James has returned home after being hit by a car at a bus stop in Clinton County earlier this week. It happened Monday morning along Highway 30 as he was getting ready to board the school bus, he and his mom said.
His mother Mickala James found him on the side of the road and immediately called 911.
"I was begging God not to take him from us," James said. "We lost another son about five years ago (and) are still overcoming that today...that's all I could keep thinking is that he was trying to take another one of my babies and praying that 'No, please don't take him. Please let him be ok.'"
She said Noah was airlifted to a hospital in Iowa City, where doctors were shocked to see all he had were bumps and bruises.
"Not a single doctor that came in there could believe that he was doing as well as he's doing after going through something like that," James said. "He's making jokes out of it one moment, the next moment he's in tears, not understanding why, why she didn't stop why he had to go through that."
While Noah was lucky to walk away from the incident with minimal injuries, his mother said people shouldn't forget.
"The chances of the outcome being different was very real and it's not always gonna be that case. So please open your eyes, pay attention," James said.
James said the bus had its stop sign out and lights on. She wants to make sure other parents don't experience a morning like she did.
"The very next day there was an adult that ran (past) a stopped school bus at the high school, the very next day after a child got hit and almost lost their life," James said. "This is a problem. We have to pay attention."
She said being aware of school buses picking up students is crucial, but it shouldn't stop there.
"I have heard that the process to getting an instruction learning permit can be done online," James said. "That's not enough. When you're driving a car, it could be used as a very dangerous weapon. It's a big deal."
James said she'll continue pressing the issue so parents can make sure their kids can return home safely without a second thought.
"It's gonna take a while, you know. But I am so forever grateful that he is still here with us. He is a walking miracle," James said.
James said around 200 people from the community came to check on Noah after the incident. Right now, the Clinton County Sheriff's Office said charges are currently pending.