Articles/News with fatalities tag

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Wyoming lawmakers consider tougher bus-passing penalties
June 6, 2013
The state Legislature’s Joint Education Committee is reportedly interested in raising the penalties for bus-passing violations and making it a stepped offense so that penalties are increased for multiple offenses. The legislators also are considering installing external cameras on all daily route buses to help in catching and citing offenders.
Alabama district’s chief discusses tragedy, recovery
May 28, 2013

In the months since bus driver Charles Poland was gunned down and a student was taken hostage, Dale County Schools is “doing better with time,” Superintendent Donny Bynum says. Here, he reveals insights on the heartrending episode and describes what has helped his district in the healing process.

New edition of School Transportation-Related Crashes released
May 9, 2013
The new statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration show that there was an average of 135 school transportation-related fatalities per year from 2002 to 2011.
Special-needs student stops breathing on bus, dies
May 3, 2013
Police say the student appears to have passed away from complications from cerebral palsy. Two bus aides noticed a problem when they were trying to unload the boy from the bus. The bus driver called 911, and a police officer attempted to perform CPR on the boy until emergency medical personnel arrived.
FMCSA declares trucker in fatal hit-and-run an ‘imminent hazard’
May 2, 2013
The driver, Johnny Allen Spell, was operating a tractor-trailer when he failed to stop for a school bus, which had engaged its warning lights and was unloading passengers. Spell’s vehicle fatally struck a child. Federal investigators are also reviewing the hiring practices and compliance records of Ricky Lucas Trucking, Spell’s employer.
2 bus drivers die in Iowa, New Mexico incidents
April 11, 2013
An Iowa school bus driver passes away after suffering a medical emergency during his route, but officials say that he pulled the bus over safely and no students were injured. The incident follows the death of another driver in New Mexico, where a bus went off of a road and down an embankment.
Kentucky transportation secretary pushed for increased bus safety
April 8, 2013
Milo D. Bryant, who served as the state’s transportation secretary under Gov. Wallace Wilkinson in the 1980s, passed away last week at the age of 82. Bryant led a bus safety task force that recommended various improvements to school buses and driver training following the fatal 1988 school bus crash in Carrollton.
Charles Poland: A tribute to a fallen hero
April 4, 2013

In its definition of the word “hero,” Webster’s notes that it is “especially one who has risked or sacrificed his life.” Charles sacrificed his life to protect his kids — the passengers on his school bus.

Iowa testing student detection systems for school buses
April 1, 2013
A system from Rostra Precision Controls Inc. and a system from National Patent Analytical Systems Inc. are undergoing evaluation for potential installation on school buses in the state to help prevent danger zone injuries and fatalities. The installation of such a system is a goal of the Smile BIG Foundation, which was founded in honor of Justin Bradfield. Bradfield was killed in a 2011 danger zone accident.
Jury points to pedal misapplication in Liberty bus crash
March 26, 2013
In the fatal Liberty, Mo., school bus crash in 2005, the National Transportation Safety Board ruled out mechanical failure and found that the circumstances “are consistent with driver pedal misapplication.” Now, in a civil trial, the jury echoes the federal investigators’ conclusion.
Arrests made in fatal crash involving school buses
March 20, 2013
Two men transporting buses to Mexico are taken into custody on Wednesday and face various charges, including involuntary manslaughter. According to the Kansas State Patrol, a school bus being towed by another bus got a flat tire, so the driver detached the buses and they sat in the roadway, leading to an accident that killed a motorist.
New Jersey association responds to case involving girl’s fall from bus
February 19, 2013
In January, Onyx Williams fell or jumped from the back of her school bus, and an investigation found that her route had only one aide on the bus instead of two, as agreed in the contract between the school district and its former contractor. Now, the New Jersey School Bus Contractors Association reports that the company is continuing to bid on routes, which the association says calls for “stricter measures and a renewed effort to make sure we are keeping our children safe.”
Roundabout planned for intersection in fatal New Jersey bus crash
February 19, 2013
Burlington County officials say the roundabout, which has been in the works since 2004, is devised to improve traffic flow, and it is not a direct response to last year’s crash in Chesterfield involving a school bus and a dump truck. That accident resulted in the death of one student and injuries to 17 others. A county spokeswoman tells The Times of Trenton that the county implemented several safety measures at the intersection on its own volition following the crash.
School bus driver killed, student taken hostage
January 30, 2013
An Alabama man identified by neighbors as Jimmy Lee Dykes, 65, allegedly boarded a school bus on Tuesday and demanded two children. When school bus driver Charles Albert Poland Jr. refused, he was fatally shot. The suspect then took a 5-year-old kindergartner and retreated to a bunker on his property, where they remained as of Thursday.
Toddler struck, killed by school bus in Texas
January 23, 2013
The 15-month-old girl gets out of the front yard of her home and runs in front of the bus. The driver reportedly does not see the girl, and the bus knocks her down — then she is run over by the back wheels of the bus.
Full danger zone report now available
January 23, 2013
As previously reported, the Kansas State Department of Education's latest national survey found that nine children were killed in school bus loading and unloading accidents in the U.S. in the 2011-12 school year. A PDF of the full report can now be downloaded from the department’s website.
NTSB: Transportation fatalities dropped 2% in 2011
January 17, 2013
Preliminary data indicate that overall transportation fatalities in the U.S. decreased from 35,043 in 2010 to 34,434 in 2011. National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Deborah Hersman says that “we can do better” in reducing transportation accidents, which remain one of the nation’s leading causes of death.
Documents show bus girl jumped from had wrong number of aides
January 10, 2013
Onyx Williams suffered serious head trauma after she jumped from the back of her moving special-needs bus, and she later died. A copy of the contract between her school district and the bus company that was providing its special-needs transportation indicated that two aides were to be assigned to Williams’ route, but only one was on board at the time of the incident.
Father of teen killed by stop-arm running speaks out
January 10, 2013
Nearly four years ago, 16-year-old Nicholas Adkins was fatally struck by a vehicle that failed to stop for his school bus. North Carolina then passed legislation that stiffened penalties for such a violation and allowed stop-arm cameras on school buses. With the anniversary of Nicholas’ death approaching, his father talks with a news outlet and gives a stark reminder of the dangers of stop-arm running.
The case for crossing arms
January 10, 2013

Many actions have resulted in reducing the overall average danger zone fatalities from 29 to 12, but by far the greatest reduction is in front of the bus — a 73% reduction compared to 47% in the other positions. Jeff Cassell, president of the School Bus Safety Co., says he believes the answer is crossing arms.

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