7 killed in school bus crash - MERGED

[christine2448]

Here is a local news site for this area, Lake Butler FL, they have full coverage of this:


http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/topstories/news-article.aspx?storyid=50467

 

[christine2448]

Here's what get's me, the three-vehicle accident happened on a clear day on a road free of obstructions. A flat road, the bus was stopped, the van was stopped behind the bus, right? I also read as an earlier poster said one of the children commented the truck was blaring his horn....why didn't he just swerve and wreck himself instead of hitting the van and bus??? Maybe this kid isn't sure or was misquoted. If this driver knew he couldn't stop and was blaring the horn, then I can't imagine he wouldn't swerve into oncoming lane if empty or off the side of the road and wreck himself......ugh. I am still just reeling from all of this and thinking of the family...on the local website there was a pic of mom at the crash site and she looked devasted...just devasted, as you imagine she would be of course.

 

[Becba]

Did the trucker nod off and wake up to find himself careening into the vehicle?

That is all I can think of.

 

[dark_shadows]

I looked at the photo of the children killed.Even though I did not know them,I cried my eyes out.The 13 year old boy really hit me the most.He looks just like my nephew.
I then thought that his parents had a duty to protect him.He should not have been placed in the position that he was in.The children killed in the car should not have been in the position to die.The ones on the bus should not be traumatized for life.Also the responders to the scene have to endure this.
A car with with a 15 year old illegal driver.
Plain and simple parental duty was not happening here.
1.15 year old illegal driver
2.not enough seat belts for the riders
3.dangerous road to and from destination
4.duty to protect
5.neglect of parental duty resulted in life altering sequences
6.the grandfather died of a heart attack
7.the womans sister lost her daughter


I saw the photo of the mother,that did not effect me in a sad way.I looked at it and wondered how she can live with herself knowing what the reaction to her loss of action caused.You are responsible for your biological and legal children.
This is not a bash it is a fact.

 

[Buzz Mills]

SNIP

A car with with a 15 year old illegal driver.
Plain and simple parental duty was not happening here.
1.15 year old illegal driver
2.not enough seat belts for the riders
3.dangerous road to and from destination
4.duty to protect
5.neglect of parental duty resulted in life altering sequences
6.the grandfather died of a heart attack
7.the womans sister lost her daughter


I saw the photo of the mother,that did not effect me in a sad way.I looked at it and wondered how she can live with herself knowing what the reaction to her loss of action caused.You are responsible for your biological and legal children.
This is not a bash it is a fact.

dark_shadows, please place the blame in the right place.

The car burst into flames immediately; sandwiched in between a school bus, and a semi; seat belts, 15 year old driver, or not, noone was going to come out of that car alive. The semi, using the car as a battering ram, drove the stopped bus, 200 feet, and spun it off the road. There is only one person at fault in all of this, and that is the truck driver. It isn't the mother's fault. It wouldn't have made one iota of difference if an adult was behind the wheel. The seat belts only kept the children anchored in the flaming car.

Evidence from the scene showed that the truck did not brake before hitting the car on the two-lane road, Burroughs said.

The bus was at an approved bus stop, but it was not immediately clear whether children were getting on or off. Nine students were on the bus, and three were thrown from the vehicle by the force of the crash.

 

[Mabel]

I agree with Dark Shadow to a certain extent. I don't know what the seatbelt laws are in Florida, but here in Michigan everyone in the front seat is required to wear a seat belt. Babies must ride in approved child seats fastened with seat belts in the back seat. Children under 12 in the back seat are required to wear a seat belt. There wouldn't have been more than 5 people in that car if Florida has the same law and the family had obeyed it. It would still be a horrible tragedy, but at least 3 of the children would still be alive.

 

[Buzz Mills]

Failure to wear seatbelts did not play a part in the deaths of any of the victims.

Florida's toughened seatbelt law (a little strange) requires that any occupant of a motor vehicle, 18, or under, is required to wear a seatbelt.

Does this mean if you are over 18, it's optional??

 

[dark_shadows]

dark_shadows, please place the blame in the right place.

The car burst into flames immediately; sandwiched in between a school bus, and a semi; seat belts, 15 year old driver, or not, noone was going to come out of that car alive. The semi, using the car as a battering ram, drove the stopped bus, 200 feet, and spun it off the road. There is only one person at fault in all of this, and that is the truck driver. It isn't the mother's fault. It wouldn't have made one iota of difference if an adult was behind the wheel. The seat belts only kept the children anchored in the flaming car.

Evidence from the scene showed that the truck did not brake before hitting the car on the two-lane road, Burroughs said.

The bus was at an approved bus stop, but it was not immediately clear whether children were getting on or off. Nine students were on the bus, and three were thrown from the vehicle by the force of the crash.

I did place the blame in the right place.I stand by what I say.
It is a parents duty to protect their child.

Thank-you Mabel for your post.

 

[deanws]

Yeah, well the mother of these kids told her father...the kids' grandfather....of the tragedy and he dropped dead of a massive heart attack. Go figure THAT!

Sad, but had that mother been driving it is possible that something would have changed and they wouldn't have been there.

So sad.

Cal

How do you figure that!?!!? The truck PUSHED the car into the bus. The truck driver is at fault.

 

[Buzz Mills]

Start praying that nothing ever befalls any of your children, at any time, for any reason, otherwise we will place the blame directly on you, dark_shadows, as you have a responsibility to protect your children, at all times.

The 15 year old driver has no blame in the accident.
The seatbelts, or lack thereof, played no part in the accident.
The mother of the children is not to blame for the accident.

The person at fault is the truck driver, and only the truck driver.

 

[dark_shadows]

Start praying that nothing ever befalls any of your children, at any time, for any reason, otherwise we will place the blame directly on you, dark_shadows, as you have a responsibility to protect your children, at all times.

The 15 year old driver has no blame in the accident.
The seatbelts, or lack thereof, played no part in the accident.
The mother of the children is not to blame for the accident.

The person at fault is the truck driver, and only the truck driver.

If you are a parent buzzm1,would you allow the same scenario to take place........Do tell me to start praying,I know parental duty.

 

[Buzz Mills]

If you are a parent buzzm1,would you allow the same scenario to take place........

What kind of an idiotic question is that dark_shadows?? What parent would ever want to have one of their children killed, let alone seven. Death can come at any time, anywhere, without the slightest warning. It's called being at the wrong place at the wrong time, and there isn't anything that can be done about that after the fact.

You can say "if only" but that doesn't do anyone any good. Your child could be walking down the street, and a car could jump the curb, and kill him, or her. Would it be fair of me, to tell you, that you had a duty to protect your children at all times. How would that feel to you, as I would assume you would be in deep grief at the time, if I said you, as a parent, were to blame.

 

[deanws]

dark_shadows, please place the blame in the right place.

The car burst into flames immediately; sandwiched in between a school bus, and a semi; seat belts, 15 year old driver, or not, noone was going to come out of that car alive. The semi, using the car as a battering ram, drove the stopped bus, 200 feet, and spun it off the road. There is only one person at fault in all of this, and that is the truck driver. It isn't the mother's fault. It wouldn't have made one iota of difference if an adult was behind the wheel. The seat belts only kept the children anchored in the flaming car.

Evidence from the scene showed that the truck did not brake before hitting the car on the two-lane road, Burroughs said.

The bus was at an approved bus stop, but it was not immediately clear whether children were getting on or off. Nine students were on the bus, and three were thrown from the vehicle by the force of the crash.

Exactly!!!! Where are you coming from DS? No matter WHO was driving that car, or if they wore 15 seat belts a piece....that car would have burst into flames. The blame lies totally with the truck.

 

[Mabel]

Start praying that nothing ever befalls any of your children, at any time, for any reason, otherwise we will place the blame directly on you, dark_shadows, as you have a responsibility to protect your children, at all times.

The 15 year old driver has no blame in the accident.
The seatbelts, or lack thereof, played no part in the accident.
The mother of the children is not to blame for the accident.

The person at fault is the truck driver, and only the truck driver.

Sorry, but I disagree. As the mother of a 15 year old girl, I am very particular about who she rides with. The mother of this family was wrong in many ways. One, for allowing the 15 year old to drive illegally. Two, for allowing the other children to ride with her. Three, for knowingly breaking the law by allowing so many kids to be in the car. Doesn't Florida have a law that even young legal drivers can not have more than one passenger?

Perhaps the trucker was totally at fault, the investigation isn't complete so we don't know yet, but the fact is that car load full of young kids should not have been on the road. It may be that the car was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, but by law, it shouldn't have been there at all. For that, I blame the adult who knowingly and willingly encouraged the 15 year old to break the law.

 

[dark_shadows]

What kind of an idiotic question is that dark_shadows?

It was not an idiotic question,how could you see it as that.I asked if you would place your children in the same circumstance if you were a parent;A car full of over the limit,unrestrained children with an underaged unlicenced driver.

 

[Buzz Mills]

Sorry, but I disagree. As the mother of a 15 year old girl, I am very particular about who she rides with. The mother of this family was wrong in many ways. One, for allowing the 15 year old to drive illegally. Two, for allowing the other children to ride with her. Three, for knowingly breaking the law by allowing so many kids to be in the car. Doesn't Florida have a law that even young legal drivers can not have more than one passenger?

Perhaps the trucker was totally at fault, the investigation isn't complete so we don't know yet, but the fact is that car load full of young kids should not have been on the road. It may be that the car was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, but by law, it shouldn't have been there at all. For that, I blame the adult who knowingly and willingly encouraged the 15 year old to break the law.

All 15 year olds are not at the same level of maturity. Some are very responsible, and this 15 year old was stopped behind the bus.

The investigation isn't complete, but they do know that the truck driver didn't apply his brakes, so other than checking his cell phone records to see if he was on the phone, and checking his blood, to see if he was on anything, that is all that remains. They do know that it was solely his fault.

 

[dark_shadows]

Sorry, but I disagree. As the mother of a 15 year old girl, I am very particular about who she rides with. The mother of this family was wrong in many ways. One, for allowing the 15 year old to drive illegally. Two, for allowing the other children to ride with her. Three, for knowingly breaking the law by allowing so many kids to be in the car. Doesn't Florida have a law that even young legal drivers can not have more than one passenger?

Perhaps the trucker was totally at fault, the investigation isn't complete so we don't know yet, but the fact is that car load full of young kids should not have been on the road. It may be that the car was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, but by law, it shouldn't have been there at all. For that, I blame the adult who knowingly and willingly encouraged the 15 year old to break the law.

Once again Mabel,I thank-you so much for your post.The fact remains that laws were broken.

 

[Buzz Mills]

It was not an idiotic question,how could you see it as that.I asked if you would place your children in the same circumstance if you were a parent;A car full of over the limit,unrestrained children with an underaged unlicenced driver.

It all goes back to fault.

The accident had nothing to do with the driver being 15.
The accident had nothing to do with seatbelts.

The accident had everything to do with the truck driver not applying his brakes.

It's called being at the wrong place at the wrong time, and there isn't anything anyone could have done to protect anyone in the vehicle.

 

[Lauren]

It's not the mother's fault on HOW the accident happened or the situations the occured. I do not agree with her choice to let a 15 drive with just a learners permit. I understand it may not have mattered WHO was driving. I think most were talking that a 15 year old should not be driving without adult supervision. I have total compassion for this poor family. It sounds like it is the truck drivers fault and I hope he goes to jail for a very long time, if not forever. Bless those CHILDREN.



Thanks for reading my posts.

 

[Mabel]

All 15 year olds are not at the same level of maturity. Some are very responsible, and this 15 year old was stopped behind the bus.

The investigation isn't complete, but they do know that the truck driver didn't apply his brakes, so other than checking his cell phone records to see if he was on the phone, and checking his blood, to see if he was on anything, that is all that remains. They do know that it was solely his fault.

I agree, all 15 year olds are not at the same level of maturity. Perhaps this girl was very mature, perhaps not. That doesn't change the fact that her mother illegally provided the vehicle for her to drive and illegally allowed all the other children to ride with her. If I tell my daughter, "Go ahead, break the law, go for a ride with your friend who is driving her mom's car without a license and without an adult as the law requires" - am I responsible if something happens to her? Yes, I am. Even if it's not the young illegal driver's fault, my daughter should NOT have been in that car.