School Bus Driver Accused of Falling Asleep Behind the Wheel

SHELTON, Conn. — A school bus driver here was arrested on Tuesday for allegedly falling asleep while driving his route earlier this month.

On Dec. 16 at approximately 3:40 p.m., police received a call that said a school bus driver was falling asleep while driving and swerving on the road, according to a news release from the Shelton Police Department. There were no children on the bus when police pulled it over. Officers spoke with the driver, Paul Pixley. An assistant manager of the school bus contractor, Landmark Transportation, arrived on scene and drove the bus away.

Detectives determined that at some point there were 30 children on the bus that Pixley was driving. Pixley appeared to fall asleep several times while the children were on the bus. One student aboard the bus told police that some children got off the bus at stops that were not theirs because they were scared, Connecticut Post reports.

The Shelton Police Department arrested Pixley and charged him with 30 counts of risk of injury to a minor, breach of peace in the second degree, reckless endangerment in the second degree, and reckless driving. Pixley told police that he took methadone and may have also taken Nyquil before he began driving his route that day, according to Connecticut Post. Pixley also allegedly told a detective that methadone does not make him tired, but that he may have accidentally taken Nyquil instead of Dayquil.

Pixley was arraigned at Derby Superior court on Wednesday. His $75,000 bond was continued and his next court appearance was set for Jan. 18, Connecticut Post reports.

Shelton Public Schools released a statement on Tuesday that said that the school system “will insist that Landmark Transportation adhere to established security measures to ensure our transportation provider's procedures observe stricter driver guidelines” and that “this driver will never drive for the Shelton Public School System again.”