• News
  • Film and TV
  • Music
  • Tech
  • Features
  • Celebrity
  • Politics
  • Weird
  • Community
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
TikTok
YouTube
Submit Your Content
People raise thousands of dollars for bus driver who was fired after she 'mistakenly' drank alcohol on the job

Home> Community> Life

Published 11:06 11 Oct 2023 GMT+1

People raise thousands of dollars for bus driver who was fired after she 'mistakenly' drank alcohol on the job

Thousands of people have shown their support for bus driver Amal Hanna after the White Claw was spotted in her cup holder

Emily Brown

Emily Brown

Members of the public have come together to raise thousands of dollars for a bus driver who was fired after being spotted drinking White Claw on the job.

Amal Hanna had been driving students home from school in Smithtown when the alcoholic seltzer water was seen in her cup holder, where she'd placed it after grabbing it from her fridge at home.

The sight resulted in Hanna's 'immediate' removal from the bus service, with Long Island company We Transport Bus Company saying her alleged conduct was 'completely unacceptable'.

Mark Secaur, Smithtown Central School District Superintendent, added that the district had 'zero tolerance for this behavior' - but Hanna has insisted that her 'behavior' was entirely accidental.

Advert

Speaking to News 12, she claimed she'd grabbed the White Claw by 'mistake', thinking it was a regular seltzer.

The bus driver is currently going through chemotherapy treatments, which have left her struggling to taste properly.

Amal Hanna insisted she didn't know the White Claw was alcoholic.
News 12 Long Island/Altice USA

"For people like me that don’t drink - how are they going to know this is alcohol?" she said. "I have been crying and crying, I don't even have any more tears. It was just a mistake, it was a mistake."

Advert

Though the bus company and school district were firm in their responses, members of the public have been more forgiving of Hanna and have started a GoFundMe page to raise money for the now-jobless woman.

The fundraiser had a target of $15,000, and read: "Miss Hanna has been a beloved bus driver for 15 years. The children on her bus said she was is kindest woman who was like a grandma to them.

"She is undergoing chemotherapy and made an honest mistake that cost her her job. My children were on the bus that day. They knew the circumstances had to be a mistake.

"Emotionally and financially she needs help. Please take a moment to watch her story and consider helping her to recover in peace."

Advert

Thousands of dollars has been raised for Hanna.
News 12 Long Island/Altice USA/GoFundMe

The fundraiser may help alleviate some of Hanna's worries about being unable to pay for her treatments without a job, though the money isn't the only thing she'll miss.

Noting that she's lost the 'bright spot' in her life that came with working with children, she said: "I go in the morning, so happy, see the kids, say ‘Good morning, how are you,’ give them a big smile."

At the time of writing (11 October), the fundraiser has exceeded its goal and raised $15,532.

Advert

The Suffolk County Police Department has said it will not press charges against Hanna.

You can donate money to the fundraiser for Hanna here.

Featured Image Credit: Long Island News 12

Topics: Health, Money, US News, Food and Drink

Emily Brown
Emily Brown

Emily Brown is UNILAD Editorial Lead at LADbible Group. She first began delivering news when she was just 11 years old - with a paper route - before graduating with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University. Emily joined UNILAD in 2018 to cover breaking news, trending stories and longer form features. She went on to become Community Desk Lead, commissioning and writing human interest stories from across the globe, before moving to the role of Editorial Lead. Emily now works alongside the UNILAD Editor to ensure the page delivers accurate, interesting and high quality content.

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

6 hours ago
a day ago
2 days ago
  • 6 hours ago

    7-Eleven employee, 24, who was left brain-dead after manager ‘sat on her’ has died

    Jessica McLaughlin died as her life support was switched off on Wednesday

    Community
  • a day ago

    YouTuber legally dies in order to get $50 refund from airline and explains how he did it

    He went through all the stress of 'dying' for the sake of getting back just 50 bucks

    Community
  • a day ago

    Huge debate sparked after Boomer says 'life gets real' for Millennials when they pay for one particular thing

    'This dude's rage is real'

    Community
  • 2 days ago

    Doctors made shocking side effect discovery after man who’d smoked for decades complained about chronic cough

    In case you needed another reason to quit...

    Community
  • Man who drank 30 cans of Pepsi every day for 20 years reveals shocking effects it had on his body
  • Incredible moment heroic 13-year-old saves bus full of students after driver fell unconscious
  • Heartbroken daughter speaks out about mom's 'tragic and painful' death after she ate supermarket cookie
  • Man who drank seven liters of soda every single day for ten years saw horrifying impacts on his body