A blind woman who had been struck by a mini school bus whilst crossing a New York street in June says her goal during recovery was to bring home the guide dog that jumped in front of the bus to save her.
Audrey Stone, aged 62, and eight-year-old Figo the dog were reunited at her Brewster home on Monday after nearly four months of recuperation.
Stone and her golden retriever were together for over six years before the crash in June. He was trained by the Guide Dog Foundation.
Witnesses say Figo leaped between Stone and the oncoming bus, then wouldn’t leave her side once both were hit.
‘And then he broke away from my hand and flung himself at the bus, like Superman, he just flew, he jumped up at the bus to stop it,’ Stone told CBS New York.
The elderly woman fell to the ground, fracturing her ankle, three ribs and her elbow, while the golden retriever’s right front leg was broken in the horrific incident.
The bus driver, who has not been named, said he didn’t see the pair crossing the road at the time of the accident.
The driver was en route to St Lawrence O’Toole Childhood Learning Center with two kindergartners on board.
The two children were uninjured and the bus driver was given a summons for failing to yield to a pedestrian.
Police photos from the crash showed fur stuck to the bus’ front wheel, the Journal News reported.
‘The dog took a lot of the blow,’ Del Gardo said. ‘And he did not want to leave her side. He stood right with her. He was there to save her.’
After the incident, Figo won the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals’ Dog of the Year award for his courage.
Stone told CBS New York that she was ‘glad to see him’ when the pair had their reunion Monday.
‘I told him he’s home, so he knows he’s home,’ she said.
