A 5-year-old died after being hit by a Granbury Independent School District school bus.
Granbury ISD released a statement confirming the death Monday of an Emma Roberson Early Learning Academy student. The student’s name was initially not released but a second statement released by the district indicated the family of Exodus Crockett granted permission. A vigil will be held March 20 with the boy’s viewing and funeral scheduled for March 21.
The district said it directly communicated with all the families of students that were on the bus when the incident occurred and is closely working with local law enforcement.
Authorities said the school bus was traveling northeast on Pecos River Drive when the driver stopped to pick up students. As the driver started to pull away, a child ran up from the right front side of the bus and was struck. No other students were injured.
“I know you share in the devastation of this loss and may have many questions. We all have the expectation that students will be safe on our buses and in our district. We are already working to fully understand the situation and will share more information after we have had the time to investigate the incident,” said Granbury ISD Superintendent Courtney Morawski.
It is unclear if the school bus driver is expected to face charges. The incident remains under investigation.
Two Camden County School District school buses and one car were involved in a crash that left seven injured in North Carolina.
The incident occurred March 7, when a teen motorist was driving a 2013 Hyundai Sonata and traveling westbound on Scotland Road alongside one of the buses. The second bus was traveling eastbound on the same road, according to a statement released by the district.
The teen motorist, who was not identified at this writing, crossed the center line and collided with the eastbound bus, causing the bus to then crash into the westbound bus.
Both bus drivers, the motorist and four children were injured during the crash. They were all transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
According to local news reports, the teen was charged with failure to maintain lane control.
More than a dozen people were injured after a school bus crashed on the Garden State Parkway in New Jersey, reported CBS News.
The incident reportedly occurred March 10 at approximately 7:30 p.m., when the Rabbinical School bus from Lakewood was heading to New York to attend a post-wedding celebration.
According to the news report, the school bus was seen on its side facing the wrong way on the highway and skid marks were visible on a nearby embankment. There was no immediate information on what caused the school bus to overturn.
The New Jersey State Police said via the article that 15 people, including the 44-year-old bus driver, were treated for injuries. One of the passengers suffered serious injuries. Police said in a statement the 14-year-old boy is fighting for his life after he was pinned under the overturned bus.
The Woodcliff Lake Fire Department was the first to arrive at the scene said Mayor Mike Ghassali in a statement on Facebook. The Montvale Volunteer Fire Department and other firefighters that assisted, lifted the bus and rescued the 14-year-old boy [that was pinned under the bus] and 28 other boys along with two adults.
The 14-year-old, who is fighting for his life, the bus driver and 13 other boys were transported to local hospitals. Their current condition is unclear at this moment.
A school bus driver is dead after a crash involving two school buses in New York.
The Oneida County Sheriff’s Office released a statement March 7 confirming the fatal crash between two Holland Patent School District school buses.
According to the statement, one of the school buses operated by Michael J. Page, 57, was transporting three students when he crossed the center line into the path of an oncoming school bus for the same district.
The second bus, operated by Jean C. Marsden, 58, was transporting two students in the second Holland Patent School District school bus.
Marsden was pronounced dead at the scene. The two students on her bus were transported to Wynn Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Page was also transported to the hospital for a foot injury, and the three students on his bus were all evaluated at the scene before being signed over to their parents.
The crash is still under investigation. But authorities indicated the weather conditions of wind-blown snow appeared to be a factor.
Editor’s note — A previous version of this article insinuated blanket advocacy of three-point, lap-shoulder seatbelt usage. Instead, NAPT said it is aligning itself with NTSB’s recommendation that lap-shoulder seatbelts be required on all new, large school buses, and that decisions to purchase the occupant restraints be made at the local level.
Citing technological advances and repeated recommendations by the National Transportation Safety Board, the National Association for Pupil Transportation (NAPT) said three-point, lap-shoulder seatbelts in all school buses.
The position marks a significant evolution in NAPT’s stance on seatbelts, though it has always called for local control of the issue. The paper encourages members “to recognize and manage issues related to driver liability and adherence to school policies in the implementation of any district program related to the installation and use of lap-shoulder belts.”
Still, the association said further testing on lap-shoulder seatbelt effectiveness by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is long overdue.
NHTSA’s limited testing resulted in the 2011 requirement of lap-shoulder belts on school buses weighing less than 10,000 pounds because those vehicles closely resemble crash forces absorbed by smaller passenger cars and trucks in collisions.
However, in that same rulemaking, NHTSA declined to mandate lap-shoulder belts on larger school buses but did provide specifications to be used by operators opting to install them. In 2015, NHTSA recommended that school bus operators should install and use lap-shoulder belts on large buses because, while school buses are the safest vehicle on the road, the belts would increase safety for student riders.
“In the absence of a scientifically based mandate from NHTSA, NAPT believes it is important that the decision to install and utilize lap-shoulder belts is made at the local level and that our efforts should support and facilitate those decision-making processes,” the paper states. “NAPT sees our role as encouraging informed conversations at the local school district level and, where appropriate, at the state level, and enabling our members to engage in those discussions with reliable and timely information.”
NAPT said its decision to issue this position paper stems from ongoing debates and evolving circumstances surrounding school bus safety. NAPT pointed to National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigations that have highlighted instances where the absence of seatbelts contributed to injuries and fatalities. These findings, NAPT said, coupled with advancements in safety technology, prompted a reassessment of its previous stance and the need to provide updated guidance to its members.
“Accordingly, at this time, the board of directors has determined that NAPT should adapt our posture and statements on the issue of lap-shoulder belts on school buses to recognize the value and importance of NTSB’s recommendations, and the evolution of school bus safety technology,” the paper notes.
NAPT said it also firmly opposes the installation and use of two-point lap belts. It also continues to recommend that decisions regarding the installation and use of lap-shoulder belts should be made at the local level, supported by informed discussions and reliable information.
NAPT Executive Director and CEO Molly McGee Hewitt told School BusRIDE the new position was shared with the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services, the National School Transportation Association, and state association affiliates.
“We have also shared them via email with the relevant federal agencies and will meet with them over the spring months as they transition to new leadership,” she added. “We will also bring the statement to other national education associations like the superintendents, school business officials, and the PTA. This kind of sharing will give our members a basis for support back in their districts.”
NAPT said it will provide future informational sessions in the form of webinars, conference sessions and podcasts to assist and support members in the making decisions on whether or not to specify lap/shoulder seatbelts on school buses.
An NAPT spokesman said the position paper was completed and approved in the fall. It was publicly announced in a School BusRide article on Tuesday.
A school bus transporting 10 students in Sherbon, Massachusetts, veered off the road after the driver suffered a medical emergency.
The Sherborn Fire and Rescue Department released a statement Thursday confirming that the crash occurred when the school bus driver was dropping students off from school.
The driver, who was not identified at this writing, had reportedly come to a complete stop and was driving slowly when they experienced a medical emergency, causing the school bus to crash into trees.
There were no other injuries reported. All the students were checked by medical professionals at the scene and released to their parents shortly after. The school bus driver was transported to a local hospital, and their condition was unknown at this report.
A student told local news reporters that the school driver hit the curb before crashing into a pole and then a tree. Neighbors witnessed the incident and rushed to help evacuate the students.
The Sherborn Fire and Rescue Department posted photos of the scene on their social media. The incident remains under investigation.
An Alabama school bus driver fell asleep behind the wheel while transporting 14 students last month, reported WCSC 5.
The incident reportedly occurred on Feb. 12, when 47-year-old Angela Lane Weaver fell asleep while driving. This caused the bus to run off the road, hit a ditch and tree before overturning on Mason Ferry Road.
According to the news report, seven of the 14 students being transported at the time of the crash were injured. The extent of their injuries and the current conditions of the students is unclear.
The district told local news reporters that the driver was placed on administrative leave immediately after the incident based on information they had at the time. Weaver then briefly returned to work. Now that the district received new information, the driver was placed back on administrative leave, where she remained as of this report. The investigation wass ongoing, and the district said it will determine further disciplinary action.
Weaver had allegedly been issued three speeding tickets in the last four years, all for going more than 19 miles per hour over the speed limit. Additionally, a previous crash report revealed that she admitted to falling asleep behind the wheel in 2021.
An 8-year-old girl was fatally struck by a car after she was dropped off by her school bus. Family and friends gathered for a candlelight vigil, reported Fox 26.
The incident reportedly occurred on Feb.24, when Emmanuela Aifuwa was dropped off by her Alief Independent School District bus at her apartment complex.
According to the news report, Aifuwa was speaking to a friend across the street when she ran into the roadway. It is unknown why she ran into the roadway. Surveillance footage shows the motorist, who was not identified in this writing, did not have time to stop the vehicle before hitting the child. The girl was reportedly transported to the hospital but succumbed to her injuries.
On Wednesday night, family, friends and community members gathered for a candlelight vigil to honor Aifuwa. The vigil reportedly took place at the scene of the incident.
The child’s mother, identified as Susie, told local news reporters that Aifuwa was her only child, and she wishes her daughter would just walk up to her and say, “Mama, it’s just a prank.” Aifuwa was described as bright and happy by loved ones.
According to local news reports the driver of the vehicle involved in the incident remained at the scene and is cooperating with investigators. They reportedly did not show signs of impairment or intoxication and were not traveling at an excessive speed. The investigation is ongoing.
A crash involving a school bus and a pickup truck left one dead following a medical emergency, reported Fox 8.
The incident occurred Feb. 24. According to the article, Shelby County Sheriff’s Office deputies discovered a pickup truck with a sole occupant and a school bus with a driver and 32 students on board. Only one student reported an ankle injury, but they were checked out and released on scene.
Investigation into the crash reportedly revealed that the bus had stopped to let students off, with a 2023 Chevy Silverado stopping behind. Witnesses on scene say the bus turned off the flashing red lights and started driving. However, the truck accelerated and ran into the rear of the bus.
The article states the truck was driven by 62-year-old Eric Brandewie. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Officers stated via the article that the family of Brandewie shared he had called his wife just minutes before the incident, reporting chest pains and profuse sweating. He was on his way to his daughter’s house so they could go to the hospital together.
Authorities said they believe the cause of the crash is the result of a medical emergency, but the investigation is ongoing until an autopsy is completed.
An Onamia School District bus driver is being hailed as a hero for dodging a head-on crash with a semitrailer truck and saving many lives, reported Star Tribune.
The incident reportedly occurred on Feb. 5 around 7:15 a.m. in central Minnesota, when a semitrailer truck crossed into the oncoming lane, where the school bus was. The bus driver, identified as 52-year-old Brian Lathrop, was seen via video making a quick maneuver to avoid a complete head-on crash.
Mille Lacs County Sheriff Kyle Burton said the quick maneuver undoubtedly saved many lives. The semi made a “glancing sideswipe” near the bus’s rear passenger side instead of a full head-on crash thanks to the bus driver’s quick actions.
The trucker, 54-year-old David Garrett, told local news reporters that he was under the impression that he hit black ice before losing control of his vehicle. He confirmed this was the first time anything like this incident had happened to him in his 10 years of truck driving.
Onamia Superintendent Jason Vold said via the article that along with the driver, there were three paraprofessionals and four students on board the bus at the time of the incident. Two students among the eight people on board were evaluated for minor injuries.
Vold said the district will be recognizing Lathrop for his heroic actions at the next school board meeting.
A school bus in Enosburgh, Vermont, that was transporting ten students flipped on its side during a crash with tow truck after intense snowsquall, reported NBC News.
The crash occurred during the morning commute to school around 7 a.m. The bus driver was transporting students when heavy snowfall and gusty winds created whiteout conditions. The driver reportedly had difficulty discerning the roadway from a nearby field, leading to the crash.
The Enosburgh Fire Department said none of the students or the school bus driver required hospitalization, and all the victims were evaluated at the scene.
According to the article, a second school bus was able to pick up the students and transport them to school safely. Additional details were not immediately available.
A crash between a tow truck and a school bus in Louisiana left four children and one adult injured. The bus driver helped save a child from being injured during the crash, reported KSLA News.
The incident reportedly occurred on Thursday morning when a school bus had stopped to pick up a child and a tow truck crashed into the back of it. According to the news report, seven kids and the driver were on the bus when the vehicle was hit.
Police stated via the article that the bus driver saved a child who was trying to get on the bus just moments before it was hit. Although the actions of the driver were not specified in this writing, officers say that without the driver’s intervention the child could have fallen out of the bus and been hit by the tow truck.
Four children were reportedly sent to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and the tow truck driver was transported to a hospital with life-threatening injuries.
Deputies added via the news report that the sun made it difficult for the tow truck driver to see the stopped bus. Authorities did not immediately identify those involved in the crash, the investigation remains ongoing.
A kindergartener is in the hospital after being struck by a truck while exiting his school bus in Missouri, reported KFVS News.
The incident reportedly occurred on Monday Jan.13, when the 6-year-old, who was not identified at this writing, was getting off the school bus and was hit by a passing vehicle.
According to the news report, the Missouri State Highway Patrol (MSHP) responded to the crash. Officers said via the article that a 19-year-old man was driving his truck southbound when he tried to stop, but his vehicle began sliding. That’s when he hit the 6-year-old.
When EMS arrived at the scene of the incident, Stg. Clark Parrott from the MSHP reportedly stated the child was conscious and alert.
The child’s father told local news reporters his son had a broken pelvis and a broken femur due to the incident. Additionally, the child had a small bleed on his brain that doctors were keeping an eye on.
A crash involving a Waltham school bus in Massachusetts sent six students to the hospital with minor injuries.
The Waltham Police Department released a statement via social media confirming that officers had responded to a rollover incident involving a school bus on Friday morning.
According to police, the bus was transporting students to Waltham Public Schools northbound on Lexington Street just before 8:30 a.m., when it struck a white van that was attempting to make a left turn East onto Beaver Street.
Police stated that the van rolled over onto a third vehicle on Beaver Street, that was stopped for a red light.
According to local news reports, there were 34 students and a driver from the Waltham Dual Language School on the school bus at the time of the incident. A total of 37 people, including those in the other vehicles, were involved in the crash.
Six students and the operator of the white van were transported to local area hospitals for minor injuries. Their current condition is unknown. According to the police, the incident is still under investigation to determine charges, if any.
A man from Opelousas, Louisiana stole a school bus and then drove recklessly causing a four-way crash, reported KATC 3.
The incident reportedly occurred on Sunday, after a 26-year-old man escaped while being transported to a mental health facility. He then stole an unoccupied school bus and drove recklessly into oncoming traffic.
According to the news report, the man caused a crash involving four vehicles where authorities confirmed several people were moderately injured.
Authorities say via the article that the man ran from the scene and stole a truck belonging to a bystander who had stopped to help with the crash.
Police reportedly tracked the truck to the Rayne area, where the man, who was not identified in this writing, was apprehended.
The man could be facing multiple charges related to the crash. The incident remains under investigation.
A kindergartener from the Hamilton School District in Wisconsin was hit and killed by a school bus on the morning of Jan.2, just two days into the new year.
The Waukesha County Sheriff’s Department released a statement confirming the death of the student amid a fatal bus incident.
According to the statement, the Waukesha County Communications Center was alerted to an incident in which a kindergartener had been struck by a school bus in the Silver Spring Intermediate School parking lot.
The bus was transporting students when the incident occurred. The Kindergartener, whose name was not disclosed at this writing, was at Silver Spring Intermediate School awaiting transfer to a shuttle bus to be taken to Willow Springs Learning Center. That’s when the school bus struck and killed the student.
Authorities say the cause of the incident is still under investigation, and the bus driver is cooperating fully with the investigation. This is a developing story.
The stnonline.com website was abuzz in 2024. Learn what news reports student transporters were most interested in and hear Tony and Ryan’s analysis on what the school bus industry can learn about safety and training from the tragic and noteworthy moments.
A 19-year-old woman from Minnesota is facing dozens of charges in connection with school bus crash that sent 12 students to the hospital, reported CBS News.
The incident reportedly occurred on Sept. 12, when a school bus transporting 22 students to Cherry School in Iron, was hit by a vehicle that blew a stop sign at Townline Road and County Road 5. The driver of the vehicle was identified as 19-year-old Svea Snickers.
Snickers reportedly drove through intersection, hit the bus, and caused it to roll into a ditch. The driver of the bus, who was not identified, told local news reporters he knew immediately it would be a bad crash but did not have time to respond in any meaningful way to avoid the collision.
The bus driver, 12 students and Snickers were reportedly hospitalized amid the crash. Nine other students were injured but did not need to be hospitalized. The student injuries ranged from lacerations and abrasions to concussions, contusions, fractures and more.
Authorities confirmed that while searching Snickers’ phone, investigators found she had used it while driving about two minutes before officers responded to the crash and just seconds before a 911 call was initiated. Investigators also learned the car was reportedly going between 48 and 53 mph just before the crash and Sickers did not brake before impact.
As of Dec. 26, Snickers is reportedly charged with five felony counts of criminal vehicular operations, 17 gross misdemeanors count of the same and two misdemeanor traffic offenses. The investigation remains ongoing.
A mother in Arizona was charged with aggravated assault after hitting her daughter’s school bus driver. A video of the incident shows the mother yelling and assaulting the driver. Other parents who were at the bus stop stated that the women complained the bus driver had not stopped in the right location. The woman faced a single count of felony aggravated assault on a school employee.
The driver of a concrete truck that caused a fatal school bus crash in Texas admitted to taking cocaine on three hours of sleep before the incident. The incident resulted in the death of pre-kindergarten student Ulises Rodriguez Montoya. Dash cam footage from the school district showed the incident was caused by the concrete truck veering across the center line and colliding with the bus.
An 11-year-old from Maine was facing charges of terrorizing after authorities were forced to evacuate a school bus due to a threat with a suspicious device. Students had reported witnessing another student showing and talking about a suspicious device and immediately the Maine state police and bomb squad were called. Authorities later confirmed that the suspicious device found in the sixth grader’s home was not an explosive.
Blue Bird is the first school bus builder to install three-point seat belts and a bus driver airbag as standard equipment, starting in the fall of 2024. (Photo courtesy of Blue Bird.)
School bus manufacturer Blue Bird made history as the first OEM to announce lap/shoulder seatbelts as standard safety technology in all its vehicles. Blue Bird, in partnership with IMMI, will begin equipping new school buses with three-point seatbelts for all student passengers.
The company also announced the implementation of other safety improvements such as high-intensity LED lighting on the outside and inside of the bus, high-resolution front and rear cameras, lighted stop-arms and school bus signs, and strobe lights. More standard equipment Blue Bird is touting as the industry’s first technology is the introduction of 4Front, a steering wheel deployed airbag to protect the head and torso of school bus drivers during a crash.
A Minnesota school bus driver was arrested after he was accused of driving his bus while intoxicated with students on board. The 44-year-old man allegedly blew double the legal limit when tested. He was arrested by authorities for suspicion of second-degree DWI. The incident was under investigation.
A school bus crash with a semi-trailer in Illinois resulted in five fatalities, three of which were children. The semi-truck driver and the school bus driver were also killed in the crash. Amid the crash, both vehicles were engulfed in flames.
Two Dutchtown Elementary School students were left inside their school bus for hours after they fell asleep. One of the children’s aunt demanded the district recheck the bus after her niece was nowhere to be found after the child was supposed to be dropped off. A driver later showed up with two children who had been left behind on the school bus.
An update on the New York State stop-arm camera law closes a loophole that previously let motorists off the hook despite being caught on a camera passing a stopped school bus. Now, the law originally passed in 2019 allowing stop-arm cameras on school buses reportedly includes a “rebuttable presumption” that the vehicle being passed is a school bus and meets all requirements of being such a vehicle. The school bus must have a valid inspection certification, which is required for every New York state school bus, to meet all requirements.
A 9-year-old boy in Florida was seriously injured after being struck by an SUV while waiting for his school bus. Several children had boarded the bus at the time of the incident. The boy was airlifted to a local hospital and then referred to a children’s hospital with several road rash scrapes across his body.
A three-way crash in Ohio resulted in a 12-year-old student being struck after exiting his school bus. The child was reportedly thrown through the air, landed in a yard and was flown to Nationwide Children’s Hospital in an unknown condition. Police said neither alcohol nor drugs appeared to play a role in the crash.
A 7-year-old boy from London, Ontario, was struck and fatally injured in a collision as he was getting off his school bus, reported CBC News.
The incident reportedly occurred on Monday afternoon, when the boy identified as Dante Caranci, was exiting his school bus and a passing vehicle struck him.
According to the news report, Caranci was rushed to London’s Victoria Hospital following the crash and was pronounced dead on Tuesday. London Police have not released many details of the crash.
A GoFundMe launched to help cover funeral costs and any other expenses had reportedly raised more than $91,000 as of Wednesday.
Police have not stated if charges are pending in the collision, and few details have been made public. Judy Madzia, the boy’s grandmother, told local news reporters that she had not seen any police report and was still unsure exactly what had happened.
Authorities have reportedly asked anyone with a dash cam who may have been traveling through the area between 3:45 p.m. and 4:05 p.m. to contact them.
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