ASPEN PARK, Colo. — A school bus driver was killed last week when a pickup truck lost control and struck him while he was outside of the bus.

Trooper Josh Lewis of the Colorado State Patrol told SBF that the incident happened around 1:12 in the afternoon last Friday, March 7. There were about three school bus drivers on board the Jefferson County Public Schools bus, but no students.

In a snowstorm, the driver of the bus pulled over to the side of a highway near Aspen Park to put on snow chains. John "Jack" Garland, 63, who was one of the bus drivers on board, got out to help.

Lewis said that a Dodge Ram pickup truck on the highway attempted to slow down and lost control. The pickup crashed into the corner of the bus and struck Garland.

Lewis said that CPR was attempted on Garland, but he was ultimately declared dead at the scene.

A Jefferson County Public Schools spokesperson told SBF that Garland had been with the district since 2008. She said that he was "a beloved member" of the district's transportation staff.

The district spokesperson said that she could not discuss other details of the incident while it is still under investigation by the Colorado State Patrol.

Trooper Lewis said that he had not seen any charges filed in the crash as of yet.


Other recent news on winter accidents:

Ice, snow cited as factors in 2 school bus crashes

About the author
Thomas McMahon

Thomas McMahon

Executive Editor

Thomas had covered the pupil transportation industry with School Bus Fleet since 2002. When he's not writing articles about yellow buses, he enjoys running long distances and making a joyful noise with his guitar.

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