GUILTY TN - Six elementary students killed in Chattanooga school bus crash, 21 Nov 2016

[Thora_Jay]

If no children were interviewed, how can investigators conclude that Walker did not ask the children if they wanted to die?
Traffic investigators say they have video from the bus cameras from the front, side and back.

They have interviewed several witnesses so far, but none of the children on the bus, yet.

http://www.wdef.com/2016/11/23/new-information-investigation-bus-driver-johnthony-walker/

Investigators also shot down several reports from the crash.

— no witness so far has said anything about Walker asking children if they wanted to die. That story is going around among many of the families of children on the bus.

— no one was ejected from the bus.

— a toxicology report back today found no drugs or alcohol in Walker’s system.

— there was one, minor wreck in Walker’s driving history from September that Chattanooga police worked.

 

[CarmelEyesD]

Witness: Bus driver didn't help kids after fatal Chattanooga accident

As some children climbed out the front window, he noticed a man sitting nearby.

"And the driver was sitting on this wall and I just asked him was [he] driving the bus and he says I was and I didn't say anything else to him," Dodds said.

http://www.wcnc.com/news/witness-bu...ds-after-fatal-chattanooga-accident/355764478

 

[gregjrichards]

Witness: Bus driver didn't help kids after fatal Chattanooga accident

As some children climbed out the front window, he noticed a man sitting nearby.

"And the driver was sitting on this wall and I just asked him was [he] driving the bus and he says I was and I didn't say anything else to him," Dodds said.

http://www.wcnc.com/news/witness-bu...ds-after-fatal-chattanooga-accident/355764478

Unbelievable! What is wrong with this guy? How can you crash a bus full of school kids and get off the bus and sit by the road leaving them to suffer and not help them at all? As for the first lawsuit I hope the bus company sees sense and settles quickly these poor families have been through enough.

 

[Jax49]

Witness: Bus driver didn't help kids after fatal Chattanooga accident

As some children climbed out the front window, he noticed a man sitting nearby.

"And the driver was sitting on this wall and I just asked him was [he] driving the bus and he says I was and I didn't say anything else to him," Dodds said.

http://www.wcnc.com/news/witness-bu...ds-after-fatal-chattanooga-accident/355764478

He was busy calling mom and explaining the kids were too bloody for him to help.

http://kfor.com/2016/11/22/tennesse...says-son-called-her-after-catastrophic-crash/

Chattanooga school bus driver Johnthony Walker tried to pull the children off the bus, his mother told CNN. But there was too much blood.
Moments after the catastrophic crash Monday, Walker called his mother and told her what happened.

:furious:

 

[CarmelEyesD]

Injuries sustained by the children included broken limbs, traumatic head and spinal injuries, and cuts and bruises, according to Erlanger Children's Hospital. Six remained hospitalized on Wednesday

"What we don't know: The identity of one of the victims."

http://www.nbc-2.com/story/33778782/chattanooga-bus-crash-what-we-know-and-dont-know

 

[Spellbound]

Injuries sustained by the children included broken limbs, traumatic head and spinal injuries, and cuts and bruises, according to Erlanger Children's Hospital. Six remained hospitalized on Wednesday

"What we don't know: The identity of one of the victims."

http://www.nbc-2.com/story/33778782/chattanooga-bus-crash-what-we-know-and-dont-know

I wonder if the one unidentified was the child they were able to identify from a picture the teacher had taken that day during their holiday activities at school.


This is the first comment I recall from any of the children who were on the bus, given to CNN ...
http://kfor.com/2016/11/22/tennesse...says-son-called-her-after-catastrophic-crash/
It’s still not clear what caused the accident. But one child on board told CNN affiliate WDEF-TV that the bus was traveling at high speed just before the crash.
“He was going real fast and he hit a garbage bag,” the boy said. “And we then hit a mailbox, then we flipped over and hit a tree real hard.”


Witness who was flagged down by students from bus--spoke to driver, who was sitting on the wall, did not see him try to help students:
http://www.wcnc.com/news/witness-bus-driver-didnt-help-kids-after-fatal-chattanooga-accident/355764478
Dodds said that, based on what he witnessed, the bus driver wasn’t tending to the children still in the bus or on the scene.
“I did not see him help one kid out of the bus,” Dodds said.

 

[Blondie in Spokane]

How sad that one victim is unidentified but how can that be? They have to know what students ordinarily ride the bus - I would expect they could figure it out through a process of elimination. So that leaves an injured child in the hospital without parents by their side? That's so hard to think about.

The driver deserves to be strung up by his _____.

 

[Jax49]

How sad that one victim is unidentified but how can that be? They have to know what students ordinarily ride the bus - I would expect they could figure it out through a process of elimination. So that leaves an injured child in the hospital without parents by their side? That's so hard to think about.

The driver deserves to be strung up by his _____.

I hope that's not what they meant. I thought they meant the child was not publicly identified.

 

[Spellbound]

I hope that's not what they meant. I thought they meant the child was not publicly identified.

Originally one of the children in the hospital (and I believe one who died) was not identified. a classroom teacher who had taken pictures that day was able to identify him, using one of those pictures. I am fairly certain (but just my opinion) that this is the one the article calls "unidentified", but most likely the article did not update that factor. From all I have read in the past few days, ALL children have been identified.

 

[Spellbound]

When the children were being taken to the hospital there was much confusion trying to make identifications.

So how did the hospital match families with their children?
In some cases, staff members took photos of the children and showed them to teachers from Woodmore Elementary School to help identify the wounded.

That worked well until one poignant moment, when parents started showing photos of children not found at the hospital.
But one teacher stepped forward to share one last happy photo with the family of a child who died. ....

http://www.cnn.com/2016/11/23/us/chattanooga-bus-crash-hospital-confusion/

 

[Blondie in Spokane]

Okay I feel better and that makes sense. Thanks Jax & Spellbound.

 

[al66pine]

This is likely pretty accurate, it's from Lexis Nexis which is a third party service which generally requires payment for information. From my experience they don't always have accurate and/or up to date information.
Here's the TN CDL information from their website....http://www.tn.gov/safety/topic/cdlalt
All official government websites will have a .gov ending. Anything that doesn't makes me skeptical.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks for ^. bbm is a good reminder.

 

[margarita25]

So what was he off route? :waitasec:

 

[Thora_Jay]

Thu November 24, 2016

http://www.cnn.com/2016/11/24/us/chattanooga-school-bus-crash/?iid=ob_lockedrail_topeditorial


Chattanooga, Tennessee (CNN)A Chattanooga school bus had not been traveling on its designated route when it crashed, killing six children and injuring dozens, investigators said.
The bus was on its way to drop off children after school Monday when driver Johnthony Walker swerved off the road and the vehicle plowed into a tree.

The bus, carrying 37 students, was not supposed to be on the narrow Talley Road, according to crash investigators.
"We are investigating why it was not on the designated route," National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Christopher A. Hart said.




First lawsuit filed


The first lawsuit stemming from the crash was filed Wednesday by the family of Jamar Boling, 8, who was injured in the accident. The complaint, which alleges that Boling sustained significant physical and psychological injuries, names the driver and Durham School Services, which operates the bus service.

More at link at top of post.

So what was he off route? :waitasec:

Yes, he was off route.

Hamilton does not allow unauthorized changes to school bus routes per their policy. Page 26.

http://images.pcmac.org/Uploads/Ham...ategories/Documents/transportation-policy.pdf


Page 26;
•
At no time will buses be driven off the scheduled routes or leave
earlier than the approved time
on the written schedule. Unless
authorized, no driver will drive through private property,
commercial property, residential property, subdivisions, or
parking lots in order to make his/
her run shorter or to avoid traffic
signals or other situations. Drivers shall have a copy of their
current bus schedule on their bus at all times. Unscheduled stops
at stores, restaurants, and unauthorized areas are not permitted
unless approved in advance by t
he Dispatcher or Transportation
Supervisor.

 

[Elley Mae]

No drugs, (so far) no alcohol. On the day after the accident Amazon said he last on the schedule past Sat, the accident was on Tuesday. For myself fatigue is not the issue. At 24 yrs of age i don't see that as the issue, not from being over worked anyway. I think he just wanted to do what he wanted to do.

Iireadc he would come to the bus stop from different directions, whf.

I have never seen a public school bus driver that fits his description in this area, AA Co. Md. Not that young. Most here are retired, and women 30's to 50's, never a 24 yr old. We'll see. Jmo

 

[Jax49]

Okay I feel better and that makes sense. Thanks Jax & Spellbound.

The six victims are identified in this article:

http://www.cnn.com/2016/11/24/us/chattanooga-school-bus-crash/

 

[CarmelEyesD]

Students complained about erratic driving before Chattanooga bus accident

-
Students and administrators raised concerns about a Tennessee school bus driver's behavior behind the wheel in the weeks before a crash that killed six children.

Records released by the school district Friday include two written statements by students complaining about Walker's driving.

"The bus driver drives fast," one student wrote earlier this month. "It feels like the bus is going to flip over... When someone is in the aisle he stops the bus and he makes people hit their heads."

Another student wrote: "The bus driver was doing sharp turns and he made me fly over to the next seat. We need seat belts."

On Nov. 2, a school official boarded the bus after the driver complained that students were not listening him. One student had complained about the heat on the bus and cursed about it to the bus driver.

http://abc7ny.com/news/students-com...ving-before-chattanooga-bus-accident/1625811/

 

[LietKynes]

I wonder if the one unidentified was the child they were able to identify from a picture the teacher had taken that day during their holiday activities at school.


This is the first comment I recall from any of the children who were on the bus, given to CNN ...
http://kfor.com/2016/11/22/tennesse...says-son-called-her-after-catastrophic-crash/
It’s still not clear what caused the accident. But one child on board told CNN affiliate WDEF-TV that the bus was traveling at high speed just before the crash.
“He was going real fast and he hit a garbage bag,” the boy said. “And we then hit a mailbox, then we flipped over and hit a tree real hard.”


Witness who was flagged down by students from bus--spoke to driver, who was sitting on the wall, did not see him try to help students:
http://www.wcnc.com/news/witness-bus-driver-didnt-help-kids-after-fatal-chattanooga-accident/355764478
Dodds said that, based on what he witnessed, the bus driver wasn’t tending to the children still in the bus or on the scene.
“I did not see him help one kid out of the bus,” Dodds said.

SABBM


:banghead: :stormingmad: :furious:

Was trying to reserve judgement... this makes it difficult.
The lives of those innocent children were in his hands.

 

[DatelineFan]

SABBM


:banghead: :stormingmad: :furious:

Was trying to reserve judgement... this makes it difficult.
The lives of those innocent children were in his hands.

Me, too! I am really trying to be compassionate. But this post and the one before it, make that nearly impossible.

And the fact that the school has written complaints is really scary.

 

[gregjrichards]

Students complained about erratic driving before Chattanooga bus accident

-
Students and administrators raised concerns about a Tennessee school bus driver's behavior behind the wheel in the weeks before a crash that killed six children.

Records released by the school district Friday include two written statements by students complaining about Walker's driving.

"The bus driver drives fast," one student wrote earlier this month. "It feels like the bus is going to flip over... When someone is in the aisle he stops the bus and he makes people hit their heads."

Another student wrote: "The bus driver was doing sharp turns and he made me fly over to the next seat. We need seat belts."

On Nov. 2, a school official boarded the bus after the driver complained that students were not listening him. One student had complained about the heat on the bus and cursed about it to the bus driver.

http://abc7ny.com/news/students-com...ving-before-chattanooga-bus-accident/1625811/

The person(s) that hired this driver and ignored deeply concerning complaints about his driving in the weeks prior to this tragedy should be fired. If they had took these complaints seriously and took appropriate action this tragedy may have been avoided.