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

[CARIIS]

One arrested, eight injured after Hazard school bus crash. Hazard Kentucky.


http://www.wymt.com/content/news/Hazard-school-bus-crash--403755946.html?refresh

I do not think I would want to live in a place named "hazard" !!!

 

[KaaBoom]

IMO, the official emphasized "experienced" driver so as to allay anxieties that the bus company had to hurry up and hire a new driver for that route. I'm guessing that not all of the drivers drive every day- some perhaps just a few days a week, so juggling the schedule does not necessarily mean another route will be assigned an "inexperienced" driver. The bus company might put out an offer/ request for their current part time drivers to pick up another route, and some might be interested in picking up extra hours.

All students should be lucky enough to get a competent driver. Which is why it's so infuriating that a driver like Walker, with so many serious issues, was continued in his job. But as I said in an earlier post, driving a school bus is not a highly paid position, has awkward hours, requires extraordinary patience and judgement, and so there is not always a robust pool of highly qualified, mature, and responsible applicants capable and willing to do the job well.

Sometimes I think that if a candidate has a CDL and passes the drug and background check, that's about all they look for.

It's sounds to me like they asked one of their trusted senior drivers to take over that route, to as you said, allay anxieties of the students and parents. That means that another route will now have an inexperienced driver. The problem with that is that it doesn't really solve the problem, that allowed this tragedy to happen in the first place.

 

[KaaBoom]

Yes, BDE-- same in our area. There is a different driver for the elementary route in our neighborhood, than for the middle/ high school route.

I'll add-- our home is less than 5 miles from the school, but kids in our neighborhood are on the bus for 50 min to get to school. The routes are loooong, with lots of stops.

I believe that school bus drivers generally do one high school run, one middle school run, and finally one elementary school run, but not necessarily in the same area, and if the route as is long as you are talking about, they might need separate drivers for each run.

 

[Elley Mae]

He & his lawyer are refusing to talk to ntsb Investagators.

 

[al66pine]

Not trying to sidetrack thread, but a MN school bus driver making bad decisions last week.

"Moorhead school bus driver ditches 20 misbehaving kids in industrial park."
http://www.twincities.com/2016/11/2...tches-20-misbehaving-kids-in-industrial-park/ November 25, 2016 at 6:34 pm


ETA: I started a new thread on ^. There's an updated story there too.
http://www.websleuths.com/forums/sh...-pk-Moorhead-Nov-2016&p=12971987#post12971987

 

[gregjrichards]

Not trying to sidetrack thread, but a MN school bus driver making bad decisions last week.

"Moorhead school bus driver ditches 20 misbehaving kids in industrial park."
http://www.twincities.com/2016/11/2...tches-20-misbehaving-kids-in-industrial-park/November 25, 2016 at 6:34 pm

Where the heck are they finding these drivers? When I used the school bus in the 90s and early 2000s for periods they always had a support worker onboard to make sure we were safe and behaving. This allowed the bus driver to concentrate on his main job driving safely.

I do understand that children can be very disobedient which is why a bus driver should never be forced to control misbehaving children alone and try and concentrate on driving at the same time. There should be a support worker from the school onboard at all times to help keep the kids safe.

However in this tragedy it was ultimately the drivers reckless and dangerous driving that caused the deaths of the children. I am not surprised one bit the driver is refusing to assist the NTSB because their report is going to be a terrible indictment of his driving and behaviour.

 

[CARIIS]

[FONT=&quot]The National Transportation Safety Board said Thursday that it has filed subpoenas to obtain 24-year-old driver Johnthony Walker’s medical and mental health history.

[/FONT][FONT=&quot] seeking his cellphone records and employment details from his second job with Amazon.

[/FONT][FONT=&quot]Hamilton County Department of Education staff member will ride on all of their buses for the morning and afternoon routes.

[/FONT]http://wate.com/2016/11/28/chattanooga-bus-driver-in-deadly-accident-to-be-replaced-with-experienced-driver/[FONT=&quot]

[/FONT]http://wate.com/2016/12/01/ntsb-says-chattanooga-bus-driver-declined-to-be-interviewed/

 

[Tulessa]

Wow!!
CHILD KILLED IN SCHOOL VAN CRASH IN TRINITY-11 OTHERS INJURED
A seven-year-old Trinity girl, who was on the van at the time of crash, received substantial injuries and was transported from the scene to East Texas Medical Center (ETMC) in Trinity; she was pronounced deceased. She was the daughter of a Trinity Six children were transported to ETMC with non-life threatening injuries. All the children were properly secured at the time of the crash, according to on-scene investigators.

The driver of the van is identified as 55-year-old Chandra Wheeler from Trinity, TX. The driver of the Ford pick-up is identified as 17-year-old Micah Brock, and 3 of her friends were in the truck. One of those friends started CPR on the child. According to DPS there were no cell phones in the truck, however locals say at that time of morning the sun hits drivers directly in the face as they approach that area



http://montgomerycountypolicereport...chool-van-crash-in-trinity-11-others-injured/

 

[Eloise]

Where the heck are they finding these drivers? When I used the school bus in the 90s and early 2000s for periods they always had a support worker onboard to make sure we were safe and behaving. This allowed the bus driver to concentrate on his main job driving safely.

Definitely didn't happen where I grew up (80s/90s) - several occasions I recall the bus driver having to pull over the bus, turn around, and yell at us for being heinous little beasts, occasionally threatening to report us to the school (unsure if it ever happened, I was a good kid and not one of the troublemakers lol). We definitely got up to a lot of stuff that must have been very distracting for those poor drivers.

It's sounds to me like they asked one of their trusted senior drivers to take over that route, to as you said, allay anxieties of the students and parents. That means that another route will now have an inexperienced driver. The problem with that is that it doesn't really solve the problem, that allowed this tragedy to happen in the first place.

Yep. Just transplanting the problem isn't solving the problem!

 

[kshultz06082]

Wow!!
CHILD KILLED IN SCHOOL VAN CRASH IN TRINITY-11 OTHERS INJURED
A seven-year-old Trinity girl, who was on the van at the time of crash, received substantial injuries and was transported from the scene to East Texas Medical Center (ETMC) in Trinity; she was pronounced deceased. She was the daughter of a Trinity Six children were transported to ETMC with non-life threatening injuries. All the children were properly secured at the time of the crash, according to on-scene investigators.

The driver of the van is identified as 55-year-old Chandra Wheeler from Trinity, TX. The driver of the Ford pick-up is identified as 17-year-old Micah Brock, and 3 of her friends were in the truck. One of those friends started CPR on the child. According to DPS there were no cell phones in the truck, however locals say at that time of morning the sun hits drivers directly in the face as they approach that area



http://montgomerycountypolicereport...chool-van-crash-in-trinity-11-others-injured/

Atleast in this one, it sounds like a true accident.

 

[Spellbound]

All these accidents and deaths are quite concerning, at least to me. I wonder if any records indicate if more are occurring because of hiring contractors.

'Sad, all the way around.

 

[Indy Anna]

Remaining hospitalized children in Woodmore bus accident in fair condition

http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/local/story/2016/dec/06/remaining-hospitalized-children-woodmore-bus-accident-fair-condition/401576/


<snipped>

Duke has said the company is cooperating with law enforcement and federal crash investigators. That cooperation pledge doesn’t extend to Walker, for whom the company has hired his own independent lawyer.

http://www.claimsjournal.com/news/southeast/2016/12/05/275358.htm


Three lawsuits filed:
http://www.wpsdlocal6.com/story/33953216/3-lawsuits-filed-after-deadly-chattanooga-bus-crash

http://www.localmemphis.com/news/lo...deadly-chattanooga-school-bus-crash/616217792

 

[Tulessa]

I do not think I would want to live in a place named "hazard" !!!

My brother lives in Skull Hollow! I kid you not!

 

[flourish]

Ugh did anyone else watch this past Sunday's episode of The Simpsons? I watched it last night on Hulu and cringed. One of the storylines is about the school bus and how dangerous it is, but in light of this recent tragedy it wasn't funny...not that dangerous school buses are ever funny but The Simpsons is supposed to be.

 

[gregjrichards]

Remaining hospitalized children in Woodmore bus accident in fair condition

http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/local/story/2016/dec/06/remaining-hospitalized-children-woodmore-bus-accident-fair-condition/401576/


<snipped>

Duke has said the company is cooperating with law enforcement and federal crash investigators. That cooperation pledge doesn’t extend to Walker, for whom the company has hired his own independent lawyer.

http://www.claimsjournal.com/news/southeast/2016/12/05/275358.htm


Three lawsuits filed:
http://www.wpsdlocal6.com/story/33953216/3-lawsuits-filed-after-deadly-chattanooga-bus-crash

http://www.localmemphis.com/news/lo...deadly-chattanooga-school-bus-crash/616217792

Is there any way a court can compel him to assist the investigation or does he have the legal right to refuse so as to not incriminate himself?

 

[KaaBoom]

Is there any way a court can compel him to assist the investigation or does he have the legal right to refuse so as to not incriminate himself?

The Fifth Amendment.

No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.

 

[CARIIS]

CEO David Duke has said the company is making multimillion-dollar safety changes after the crash. The company's own investigation into the accident is ongoing.


http://www.wpsdlocal6.com/story/33953216/3-lawsuits-filed-after-deadly-chattanooga-bus-crash

 

[Jax49]

From last year.

http://wreg.com/2015/02/18/british-parliament-in-memphis-to-hear-school-bus-concerns/

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Durham School Services questioned British Parliament members, who are visiting Memphis to look into bus complaints.National Express, the parent company of Durham School Services, is based out of the United Kingdom.

Parliament members came across the pond Wednesday to hold a forum and listen to your concerns on safety, working conditions, and equipment problems.

This year, Durham School Services got off to a bumpy start with dozens of crashes, a driver charged with bringing pot on a bus, and another driver arrested for a felony warrant out of Texas.

 

[KaaBoom]

CEO David Duke has said the company is making multimillion-dollar safety changes after the crash. The company's own investigation into the accident is ongoing.


http://www.wpsdlocal6.com/story/33953216/3-lawsuits-filed-after-deadly-chattanooga-bus-crash

He is just trying to save their business. They aren't going to really change anything.

 

[KaaBoom]

From last year.

http://wreg.com/2015/02/18/british-parliament-in-memphis-to-hear-school-bus-concerns/

Great, now we are relying on the British Parliament to keep our school busses safe, because apparently the US Government could care less.