A West Virginia school bus driver convicted of DUI after the vehicle he was driving rolled over, crashed and injured more than a dozen students last year, faces a severe sentence, reported WCHS News.

According to the news report, 54-year-old Jeffrey Brannon, was sentenced on Thursday after entering a guilty plea to three counts of DUI causing bodily injury and 16 counts of child neglect, creating a risk of serious bodily injury or death.

Judge Anita Harold Ashley reportedly sentenced Brannon to 22 to 110 years in prison, with each of the sentences for each victim to be served consecutively.

The March 2024 rollover crash occurred along South Calhoun Highway, hospitalizing 19 students who were participating in after-school programming. State Police said via the article that Brannon’s blood alcohol level was recorded at .127 percent over three times the legal limit of .04 percent for commercial driver’s license holders.

One of the injured students, Kevin Wilson who was 14-years-old at the time of the crash, had his leg amputated due to severe injuries. Several students who were on board the bus at the time of the incident and family members of those injured, spoke at the sentencing hearing.

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SOUTH CHARLESTON, W.Va. – GreenPower Motor Company Inc. (NASDAQ: GP) (TSXV: GPV) (“GreenPower”), a leading manufacturer and distributor of purpose-built, all-electric, zero-emission medium and heavy-duty vehicles serving the cargo and delivery market, shuttle and transit space and school bus sector, today announced that three Type D all-electric, purpose-built, zero-emission BEAST school buses have been delivered to its West Virginia dealer for the Grant County School District under Round 2 funding of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Clean School Bus Program (CSBP).

“GreenPower continues to manufacture and deliver its all-electric, purpose-built school bus products to its dealer in West Virginia and dealers across the nation for school districts in a timely manner despite the current uncertainties of public policy, tariffs and funding,” said Brendan Riley, President of GreenPower. “This week’s delivery to our West Virginia dealer is for the second school district in West Virginia under the Clean School Bus Program since the contract with EPA was signed just four months ago and the federal funding became available in mid-March.”

Delivery of the West Virginia-manufactured school buses under the EPA grant was paused for a few weeks as part of the freeze on spending implemented by the Trump Administration as the new EPA team evaluated program spending. After the freeze was lifted, GreenPower’s first delivery to its dealer in West Virginia under the CSBP was for Kanawha County and today’s announcement represents the second set of buses under the award to Grant County. Calhoun County’s school buses funded under the CSBP will be the next delivery for GreenPower to its dealer.

To date, GreenPower has delivered 22 of its all-electric, purpose-built, zero-emission school buses in West Virginia for deployment in school districts across the Mountain State, including 16 BEASTS and six Nano BEASTs. The deployments represent approximately one-half of the orders placed for West Virginia school districts that have installed charging infrastructure and are prepared to accept the buses.

As the leading purpose-built American manufacturer of EV school buses, GreenPower is the only all-electric OEM that manufactures both a Class 4 Type A school bus and a Class 8 Type D school bus. The BEAST is a purpose-built 40-foot Type D all-electric, zero-emission school bus with seating for up to 90 students. Designed from the ground up as an EV, it is a fully integrated structure that features a strong and corrosion resistant aluminum body made from extruded aluminum, manufactured by Constellium, seamlessly mated to a high strength steel Truss (bus) chassis. The complete flat floor design allows for adjustable track seating with no wheel wells in the passenger compartment, and the high floor keeps students out of the impact zone. Combined port charging is standard with Level 2 rates up to 19.2 kW and DC Fast Charging rates up to 85 kW, allowing for full charging in less than three hours.

About GreenPower Motor Company, Inc.
GreenPower designs, builds and distributes a full suite of high-floor and low-floor all-electric medium and heavy-duty vehicles, including transit buses, school buses, shuttles, cargo vans and a cab and chassis. GreenPower employs a clean-sheet design to manufacture all-electric vehicles that are purpose-built to be battery powered with zero emissions while integrating global suppliers for key components. This OEM platform allows GreenPower to meet the specifications of various operators while providing standard parts for ease of maintenance and accessibility for warranty requirements. GreenPower was founded in Vancouver, Canada with primary operational facilities in southern California. Listed on the Toronto exchange since November 2015, GreenPower completed its U.S. IPO and NASDAQ listing in August 2020. For further information go to www.greenpowermotor.com.

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A Calhoun County Schools bus driver who was accused of DUI after being involved in a rollover crash accepted a guilty plea agreement, reported WSAZ 3.

The incident reportedly occurred March 4 at approximately 6 p.m., when 54-year-old Jeffrey Brannon was transporting 19 students on Route 16. He ran off the road and struck a culvert, causing the school bus to tip over.

The article states that students on board the bus ranged in ages from 11 to 18. Three students suffered serious injuries. Two of the victims were air lifted from the scene, but their injuries were not considered to be life-threatening. Their current condition is unclear at this time. All other students were taken to local hospitals, where they were treated and released.

Brannon was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol and child neglect. A preliminary breath test at the scene showed he had .161 percent blood alcohol level, which is  four times the legal limit for a commercial driver. Brannon’s bond was set at $250,000 and the first preliminary hearing was held March 14.

Calhoun County Schools Superintendent Michael Fitzwater told local media that all applicable laws will be followed and that Brannon will never operate another school bus.

In the Citrus Court of Calhoun County, Brannon entered a guilty plea April 10 to three counts of DUI causing serious bodily injury and 16 counts of child neglect, creating risk of serious bodily injury.

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