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

[Jax49]

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

It is a British company.

My simple logic tell me it would be better for an American company to be busing our kids.

 

[KaaBoom]

It is a British company.

My simple logic tell me it would be better for an American company to be busing our kids.

My simple logic tells me that it would be better for the school districts to be bussing the kids, rather then paying a middleman to do it. When I was a kid, every single school bus I rode on from a small rural school district with six school busses to a large city one with hundreds of busses, was owned by the school district and had school district employees driving them. It doesn't make safety sense to contract out school bus service to the lowest bidder. It just means lower paid bus drivers, with the cost savings going to a foreign company.

 

[Jax49]

My simple logic tells me that it would be better for the school districts to be bussing the kids, rather then paying a middleman to do it. When I was a kid, every single school bus I rode on from a small rural school district with six school busses to a large city one with hundreds of busses, was owned by the school district and had school district employees driving them. It doesn't make safety sense to contract out school bus service to the lowest bidder. It just means lower paid bus drivers, with the cost savings going to a foreign company.

I agree. When I was riding the bus if there was a problem my parents called the driver or he/she called my parents.

Can't expect that now but the buck needs to stop a lot closer to home than it currently does.

 

[Indy Anna]

I have a friend who has driven a school bus for about 10 years and now trains the bus drivers in her district. Training starts at least 2 weeks prior to the start of school. I wonder what type of training drivers with contracted services receive and how long.

 

[Jax49]

I have a friend who has driven a school bus for about 10 years and now trains the bus drivers in her district. Training starts at least 2 weeks prior to the start of school. I wonder what type of training drivers with contracted services receive and how long.

I couldn't find any info from the company but did read a few interesting reviews. Some said they recommend only experienced bus drivers apply, because the training was not good.

MOO

 

[Elley Mae]

Deadly Tenn. school bus crash case heads to grand jury

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/12/15/deadly-tenn-school-bus-crash-case-heads-to-grand-jury.html

 

[Gardenista]

Unreal

Chattanooga bus driver was using cellphone before deadly crash--going 20 MPH over speed limit

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/chattan...h-police/?ftag=CNM-00-10aab5i&linkId=32440338

 

[Damarna]

Unreal

Chattanooga bus driver was using cellphone before deadly crash--going 20 MPH over speed limit

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/chattan...h-police/?ftag=CNM-00-10aab5i&linkId=32440338

It. Just. Gets. more. Insane.

WTH is wrong with people????

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

 

[Jax49]

http://www.tennessean.com/story/new...-driver-chattanooga-bus-crash-court/95428540/

And the engine control module in Walker's bus, commonly known as a black box, recorded three sudden deceleration events in the week before the crash, according to Warren.

"It showed several incidents of speeding up and slowing down rapidly, but those were not related to this crash," he said.

BBM ...

 

[Elley Mae]

http://www.tennessean.com/story/new...-driver-chattanooga-bus-crash-court/95428540/



BBM ...

Six students had told school employees the driver was swerving and "purposely trying to cause them to fall," the principal said.
According to school records, at least two students wrote letters to officials expressing concerns for their safety. One student claimed the driver "was doing sharp turns and he made me fly over to the next seat." A second student said the bus felt like it would "flip over" given how fast it traveled.
"He makes (people) hit their head," the second student wrote.

http://www.cnn.com/2016/11/28/us/chattanooga-bus-driver-allegations/

bbm

 

[K_Z]

Officials said on Thursday that Walker had been videotaped on the bus holding his cell phone while he drove, which is illegal for school bus drivers in Tennessee.

Electronic evidence, including readings from a GPS unit and engine monitor on the bus, shows the bus was traveling between "50 and 52 miles an hour," (80 to 83 kph), Chattanooga Police Department traffic officer Joe Warren told the court on Thursday during a court appearance by Walker, who did not speak.

In addition, there were several caution signs saying that the road's curves need to be negotiated at 20 mph, Warren said.

Warren described a video showing Walker holding his cell phone while he drove.

A Hamilton County Criminal Court judge on Thursday said there was enough evidence to send the case to a grand jury.

“I do find the conduct to be reckless," Hamilton County General Sessions Judge Lila Statom said. "There was a conscious disregard for the risk in this case.”

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-tennessee-crash-idUSKBN1442YQ

Questioned by Dunn, he acknowledged that a camera inside the bus showed Walker using his phone while the bus was stopped, and that the phone then went out of view. Investigators are going through phone records to get a better sense of when he used it.

In a separate investigation, Walker has declined to be interviewed by federal crash investigators on advice of his lawyer, the National Transportation Safety Board has said.

The NTSB has filed subpoenas to obtain Walker’s medical and mental health history. Investigators also are seeking his cellphone records and details of his second job with Amazon. The agency’s final report is expected to be presented within 18 months.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/chattanooga-bus-driver-cellphone-deadly-crash-police/

The case of the driver accused in a school bus crash that killed six children in Tennessee will go to a grand jury, a judge in Hamilton County ruled Thursday.

Johnthony Walker, 24, was driving about 20 mph above the 30 mph speed limit, police said. Two children were still recovering in a hospital after the Nov. 21 crash on a curved road in Chattanooga.

The grand jury could choose to keep or add to the charges against Walker, analysts say.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/12/1...sh-case-heads-to-grand-jury.html?refresh=true

BBM

 

[Jax49]

From the 15th and earlier, but good in-depth coverage. Includes in court video.

http://www.wrcbtv.com/story/33763627/update-johnthony-walker-preliminary-hearing-set-for-december-15

The speed of the bus was determined by using landmarks in the video and time. Video from three cameras was used. Three forms of electronic data were gathered by investigators; GPS data, video and the engine control module.

Walker declined to talk to Chattanooga police traffic investigators following the crash, according to testimony.

The video also shows Walker helping at least two children get out of the wrecked bus. Investigators also say that Walker then ran to the back of the bus to give aid to the students before first responders arrived.

 

[Jax49]

Lawsuit: School bus driver in fatal Chattanooga wreck was ‘sadistic’

http://wreg.com/2016/12/22/lawsuit-school-bus-driver-in-fatal-wreck-was-sadistic/

A federal lawsuit says the driver in a Chattanooga school bus wreck that killed six children had a “sadistic” habit of driving recklessly and slamming on the brakes to discipline the children.

 

[Spellbound]

Enough evidence to send this to a Grand Jury.

Warren said he estimated the speed of the bus at between 50 mph and 52 mph, about 20 mph above the posted speed limit.
Warren also said an onboard camera video showed that bus driver Johnthony Walker was using his cellphone on the bus, but Warren did not say when that occurred.

http://kdvr.com/2016/12/15/school-bus-driver-in-crash-that-killed-six-children-appears-in-court/
===


Chattanooga Police– ‏@ChattanoogaPD

Johnthony Walker, 24, charged w/ 5 counts vehicular homicide, reckless endangerment & reckless driving in Talley Rd school bus crash.
2:19 AM - 22 Nov 2016 from Chattanooga, TN
https://mobile.twitter.com/ChattanoogaPD/status/801007134460755968
====
several articles that recap the accident/arrest of JW
http://heavy.com/news/2016/11/johnthony-walker-chattanooga-school-bus-crash-driver-name-arrested-photos-facebook-record-tennessee-cause/

 

[Spellbound]

Article updated 12/21/2016

Police say a sixth charge of vehicular homicide will be added.
Thursday's hearing will determine whether Walker's case will head to a grand jury.
http://www.wrcbtv.com/story/33763627/update-johnthony-walker-preliminary-hearing-set-for-december-15

 

[Spellbound]

JOHNTHONY WALKER HEARING
(LadyJustice2188). Published on Dec 15, 2016

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2y42v8tL0ak

also at:
[h=1]Johnthony Walker Preliminary Hearing 12/15/16[/h]
Court Chatter View

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ESr0yYMZ51w

 

[Jax49]

Driver in fatal Chattanooga bus crash given extra training​

http://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/...ooga-bus-crash-given-extra-training/95805936/

The driver in a school bus crash that killed six Chattanooga children had been given additional training after previous traffic accidents in the months before the fatal wreck.

The Chattanooga Times Free Press reports (http://bit.ly/2i9V1uX ) that the Johnthony Walker's bus hit a cement barrier as he made a right turn in August and that his bus side-swiped a vehicle the next month.

 

[Indy Anna]

Driver in fatal Chattanooga bus crash given extra training​

http://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/...ooga-bus-crash-given-extra-training/95805936/

No amount of training would have made a difference with this guy, IMO. He was simply indifferent toward his job and full of meanness toward his charges. I can't imagine the terror those children experienced riding that bus five days a week, since the beginning of the school year, until the inevitable happened. The families of the children are in my thoughts today.

 

[vulture]

Unbelievable.

Actually and sadly I do believe it because when I was in 9th grade we had a school bus driver that took unnecessary risks with us. He wasn't mean or anything but we had this one long street where there was a huge bump in the road toward the end of the street.

When he started realizing that the bump was causing us kids in the back to get a little airborne and we started to enjoy it by hooping and hollering, the driver made it a habit to gain speed each time before hitting the bump.

That lasted till the one day he hit the bump a little too fast and one kid flew up so high he came down awkward and hit his chin on the chair in front which caused him to bite his lip real bad.

Blood went everywhere, driver had to pull over and lay the kid on the ground and call for an ambulance. I never did see the poor kid or the driver on that route again.

Not nearly as serious as yesterday's terrible incident.
Prayers for the children and their families.

My grade school bus route had a bump like this - if the light at the bottom of the hill was green, sometimes the bus would be going fast enough for the kids in back to get airborne. We used to shout "punch it" if it looked like we were going to catch the green light. The driver would indulge us but one day we bounced too far and she wouldn't do it any more. No one got hurt in our case - we thought it was super fun!

 

[Damarna]

My grade school bus route had a bump like this - if the light at the bottom of the hill was green, sometimes the bus would be going fast enough for the kids in back to get airborne. We used to shout "punch it" if it looked like we were going to catch the green light. The driver would indulge us but one day we bounced too far and she wouldn't do it any more. No one got hurt in our case - we thought it was super fun!

Oh yes our route had a lot of places like that. Country roads.... We also had a wackadoodle bus driver who put the bus in the ditch more than once, rear ended a city bus and (the last straw) got one of the girls on the bus pregnant.

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