Diaper odor gets mom, baby kicked off Seattle bus

[October 19, 2012]  SEATTLE (AP) -- A woman is complaining to the public transit authority that a driver kicked her off a bus in Seattle because of her baby's stinky diaper.

Nichole Hakimian was taking her 1-year-old son to a clinic Tuesday because of an intestinal illness, KOMO News reported (http://is.gd/12kPyR).

"He had just pooped in his diaper as soon as I got on, because he was having diarrhea," she said. "And right after that, she told me I had to get off the bus."

When Hakimian asked why she said the Metro Transit driver said, "Your baby, he smells really bad, and it's not fair that we all have to smell that."

"I said, 'My son is sick. I'm taking him to a doctor's appointment.'"

Nonetheless, the driver stopped the bus and let her out about a half-mile from the clinic, she said.

Hakimian, who is four months pregnant, found a nearby place to change the diaper. She caught another bus to the clinic and learned her baby was suffering from a stomach bug.

She complained to Metro, and the King County transit agency is investigating.

"Based on reports, this appears to be a very unique situation. Our goal is always to balance the comfort of all of our riders with providing good customer service. We are investigating the complaint, and will get a report from the driver to confirm what happened and that proper procedures were followed," spokesman Jeff Switzer said in a statement to KOMO.

The bus ride made her feel sick, too, Hakimian said.

"I feel like I was being discriminated against and bullied. And it made me feel like crap. It really did," she said

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Information from: KOMO-TV, http://www.komotv.com/

[Associated Press]

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