ROCKLAND, Maine — A Regional School Unit 13 student was killed after he was hit by his school bus.
Family and friends say the victim, 12-year-old Brayden Callahan, had just gotten off the bus on Friday when he was hit, WGME reports. Angelique Nye, who lives near the crash scene, says she and others rushed to the boy’s aid and began performing life-saving measures.
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Brayden was rushed to an area hospital with life-threatening injuries before being flown to Maine Medical Center. Rockland Police announced Saturday afternoon that Brayden had died from his injuries.
RSU 13 canceled classes at all schools on Monday and Tuesday. South School and Oceanside High School are open both days for students or staff who want counseling and grieving services. Students will return to class on Dec. 1 following the Thanksgiving break.
RSU 13 Bus Driver Had Prior OUI Conviction
The bus driver, identified as 65-year-old Jeffrey Colburn, has been placed on administrative leave. Multiple parents told News Center Maine that they have had issues with Colburn going back years. Parent Becky Finson alleges Colburn would make inappropriate comments to students and drive erratically.
“He would also break-check the bus every few minutes and slam their heads into their seat, and we’ve seen this happen. He’d also take off with our kids [not] sitting down yet,” she said. “They’d just gotten on the bus, and he would take right off while they were still trying to find a seat.”
RSU 13 Superintendent John McDonald said he is prohibited from commenting about complaints made against employees due to state law.
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According to court documents, Colburn was also found guilty of operating under the influence of alcohol in June 2015 and had his license suspended for 150 days. Under state law, the conviction prohibited Colburn from driving a school bus for 10 years. However, some parents allege Colburn has been driving a bus for the school district since well before June 2025.
“It makes me ask: ‘What kind of background checks are you doing?’ This took a child dying for this finally to be heard that there was a problem with this employee,” said parent Brittany Young. “So that should not have happened. It should have been nipped in the bud a long time ago.”
Rockland Police confirmed a blood alcohol test was conducted and there is no indication that Colburn was under the influence during the crash. Colburn was also involved in an Oct. 2025 crash when the school bus he was driving struck a car, totaling the vehicle, according to Bangor Daily News.
Colburn isn’t facing any charges at this time in connection with Friday’s crash. Several agencies are involved in the investigation, including the Maine State Police Crash Reconstruction Unit, Maine State Police Commercial Vehicle Unit, and the Maine Bureau of Highway Safety Traffic Safety Resource Prosecutor’s Program.
