DERRY TOWNSHIP, Pa. — A former driver for a trucking company here who was involved in a 2017 crash that caused the death of a school bus driver has been charged with homicide.

Deborah Bopp was killed on April 10 when the tri-axle truck that Wesley White was driving reportedly struck the back of her bus as she slowed down to pick up a student, according to Trib Live. State police said that even though Bopp was wearing her seat belt at the time, she was ejected from the vehicle, the news source reports. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

The bus reportedly spun and struck a concrete median after being hit. Police said that the truck crashed into a two-story model house, knocking it off its concrete block base and damaging the front side and the porch, according to The Indiana Gazette.

According to a complaint filed with Magisterial District Judge Mark J. Bilik, six witnesses told police that the bus was traveling in the right lane with its amber lights on well before being struck by the truck, according to The Indiana Gazette. Witnesses also said that they did not see brake lights activated on the truck before its initial impact with the bus.

Police said that the truck was traveling at least 34 miles per hour when it hit the bus, according to the news source. White told officials he had a coughing spell about 1.8 miles from the scene of the crash, The Indiana Gazette reports, and that that was the last thing he remembered until he struck the bus.

Bopp worked for Smith Bus Co., which serves the Derry Area School District. White had been employed with P & B Transportation Inc., but he didn’t return to work after the crash, and company officials told Trib Live that he has resigned.

The complaint also states that White was also charged with following too closely, failure to drive at a safe speed, careless driving, and reckless driving, The Indiana Gazette reports.

About the author
Nicole Schlosser

Nicole Schlosser

Former Executive Editor

Nicole was an editor and writer for School Bus Fleet. She previously worked as an editor and writer for Metro Magazine, School Bus Fleet's sister publication.

View Bio
0 Comments