Driver blames crash on sleep apnea, steering problems
Beverly Turner is diagnosed with the condition after she crashes her bus into a concrete post. Turner also claims she reported that her bus had mechanical problems, but school district officials say there are no records of her report.
TIPPECANOE COUNTY, Ind. — A school bus driver who crashed into a concrete post on Feb. 28 claims that her sleep apnea and bus mechanical problems may have contributed to the crash, the Journal & Courier reports.
Beverly Turner, 44, was recently diagnosed with sleep apnea and had experienced daytime sleepiness for as much as a year before the crash. Initially, Turner blamed her daytime drowsiness on the water pill she had to take with her blood pressure medication, but the crash prompted her to look further into her symptoms.
Turner also claimed to have reported steering problems on her bus to Tippecanoe School Corp. in early 2012, but officials said there were no records of her report, according to the Journal and Courier.
As SBFpreviously reported, Turner was fired after investigators determined that she fell asleep at the wheel of her bus and caused the accident. Eight students were taken to the hospital after the crash.
To read the full Journal & Courier story, click here.
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