School Bus Accident!
They've just reported over the news about a School bus accident that happened this afternoon in a neighboring town. I happened to be talking to a friend on the phone at 2:00 when she got another call that the hospital where she works had called a Condition Yellow (an alert that indicates a disaster and multiple casualties coming in). All she knew was that it involved a train.
I'd thought that it wouldn't be a school bus since kids don't get out of school at that time. I'd forgotten about field trips. Appearantly the bus crossed the tracks but didn't clear the back end and couldn't move forward because of cars in front of the bus. Fortunately, though the train smashed the back end of the bus, none of the kids on board were seriously injured. Only one was hospitalized though all of the students were seen in the ER.
What a horrible, horrible event. My initial reaction when I found out it was a school bus with children on board was absolute dread. When I heard no one was seriously injured I was initially extremely grateful, but I did have some moments of anger towards the bus driver. That she could have crossed the tracks with the warning system going and leave part of the bus on the tracks..... I don't know. Maybe something happened that was beyond her control that we don't know about. Here though, I think laws require school buses to to pause or stop at tracks, open the door to listen, and for drivers to look both ways for train activity despite the presence of warning signals.
Tonight though, I am heading to the store to buy cards for my kids' bus drivers to thank them for transporting my kids safely to and from school each day.
I'd thought that it wouldn't be a school bus since kids don't get out of school at that time. I'd forgotten about field trips. Appearantly the bus crossed the tracks but didn't clear the back end and couldn't move forward because of cars in front of the bus. Fortunately, though the train smashed the back end of the bus, none of the kids on board were seriously injured. Only one was hospitalized though all of the students were seen in the ER.
What a horrible, horrible event. My initial reaction when I found out it was a school bus with children on board was absolute dread. When I heard no one was seriously injured I was initially extremely grateful, but I did have some moments of anger towards the bus driver. That she could have crossed the tracks with the warning system going and leave part of the bus on the tracks..... I don't know. Maybe something happened that was beyond her control that we don't know about. Here though, I think laws require school buses to to pause or stop at tracks, open the door to listen, and for drivers to look both ways for train activity despite the presence of warning signals.
Tonight though, I am heading to the store to buy cards for my kids' bus drivers to thank them for transporting my kids safely to and from school each day.
posted by SonSon at 3:45 PM
4 Comments:
[haven't read post, sorry. Came in to thank you for commenting, thank you so much for taking the time. And I am so sorry abt your brother, I am so so sorry. I will come back later and read you.]
Oof. That was close. Lets not jump the gun. We should wait for more details to emerge as to why the accident happened and whether the driver was at fault. Anyway lets learn from this incident and move forward.
I have always cringed when I was behind a bus that has to stop at a rail road crossing. I think the reason this happens alot to buses, at any crossing, is because its hard to gear that big old bus from a dead stop. Theres no momentum to get them over the track area, its just too easy to stall out.
Next time you are behind one, watch how long it takes them to negotiate a crossing.
As for this one incident though, Wow! The driver left the back end of the bus on the tracks?
My sons rides a bus too and whenever his regular driver is not driving I am FULL of angst. The fill in driver can't even stop the bus in front of my house, its always somewhere different. Like she can't control it to stop in the normal spot. Frightening.
Sorry for the long post.
Lioness, thank you. It's a great thing you're doing for your friends mother.
Beajaar, yes, it was close and I'm so thankful it turned out as positively as it did. Normally I'm an extremely non-judgemental person and strive to see all sides of issues. I did jump the gun here though.
Echotig, bus driver has to fall somewhere in the top 10 list of things I wouldn't want to do. I feel right along with you on the substitute driver. I'd be distraught. Don't worry about the long comment. I love reading your posts and comments.
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