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School Bus Driver Quits After Close Call With Train

The railroad crossing arm reportedly lowers onto the bus. A student captures video of a freight train running near the bus, but no one is harmed.

February 15, 2017
1 min to read


CARY, N.C. — A school bus driver here resigned last week after a close call with a train, WTVD reports.

The bus driver, who was not identified, reportedly maintained speed and approached the railroad crossing as the arm lowered onto the bus. A middle school student shared with the news source video from her phone that shows a freight train running near the bus.

No students were harmed, but the student who took video of the incident described it as “terrifying,” and one parent told WTVD that the students were disoriented after the incident. The Wake County Public School System told the news source that the driver resigned on Friday.

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The news source obtained a copy of a letter that the principal of the school sent to parents. It stated that on Thursday he received reports that the bus stopped before the train tracks and while it was stopped, the crossing arm “landed on the front of the bus.” The principal also stated in the letter that he contacted the school district’s transportation department, which is investigating the incident and had removed the driver from the route. CSX, the company that owns the railroad tracks, is also looking into the incident.

View the student's video of the incident, obtained by WTVD, below.

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