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.
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.
School bus drivers are trained to not only keep calm with student riders but also when a piece of metal pierces their windshield during a route.
That is exactly what happened to Stewart O’Leary, a school bus driver for Northshore School District in Washington, on Feb. 7. As he drove a sports team down the freeway, a metal pole shattered his windshield and struck him in the chest. The school district released a statement on the incident.
O’Leary is being recognized as a hero for prioritizing the safety of the students on board his bus and remaining calm and collect after being hit and despite the resulting pain. Thanks to his quick thinking and the swift actions of North Creek coaches Calvin McHenry and Chris Pinder, who were also on board, the bus was safely brought to a stop and all passengers remained injured.
O’Leary was taken to the hospital on the day of the incident and released that same night. The following Monday he was back at work, continuing to serve students. The district thanked O’Leary for his heroic actions and bravery.
According to local news, Washington State Patrol troopers have not been able to determine where the metal bar came from.
The family of a girl who was saved by her school bus driver on Jan. 10 spoke out about the experience, reported WKOW News.
The incident reportedly occurred hen 9-year-old Cathryn Dornacker was on board an Adams-Friendship School District bus and accidentally began choking on part of her bracelet while on her way home from school.
According to the news report, the driver, Jamie Smoczyk, stopped the bus and jumped into action by performing the Heimlich Maneuver on Dornacker.
Dornacker told local news reporters that she was making a bracelet with the “C” clip when the bus stopped, and she accidentally swallowed it.
In a surveillance video recovered from the bus, Dornacker’s brother Jonathan, is seen yelling at Smoczyk that his sister needs held. He told local news reporters that his sister’s face was turning red, and she fell on the ground right before Smoczyk heard his screams and quickly came to aid the child.
Despite the traumatic experience, Dornacker’s parents were grateful for the school bus driver’s heroic actions.
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department released a statement saying that the gunfire came from a drug-related dispute that occurred outside the school bus on Monday. The bus was not the intended target, police added. Two students from Albemarle Middle School were injured from glass broken by the gunfire, according to the police statement.
Police arrested 21-year-old Lamarius Ramel Anthony, who is charged with carrying a concealed weapon and felony possession of cocaine.
Local security guard Eyersol Belbuel was reportedly nearby when the shooting occurred and assisted the school bus driver in safely evacuating all the students.
An Orange Unified School District school bus in Southern California was involved in a crash with a SUV that resulted in hospitalization for the victims but they are expected to recover.
Michael L. Christensen, superintendent of Orange Unified School District (OUSD), released a statement saying that two students and the school bus driver were onboard Monday at the time of the incident and have been transported to local hospitals.
The Orange County Fire Authority responded to the scene of the incident and stated that there three adults and two children sustained injuries. They were all transported in stable but serious condition. The California Highway Patrol is investigating the cause of the crash.
“Our hearts go out to our students, the driver, and their loved ones during this challenging time,” said Christensen. “We are deeply grateful to the first responders for their quick response and support, and we are working with the California Highway Patrol on their investigation.
School bus crashes are a concerning issue that requires close attention. Statistics show that these types of incidents occur more often than one might expect, with thousands of crashes reported each year across the United States.
Recent statistics compiled from various sources reveal an alarming trend of school bus crashes and school transportation-related traffic incidents over the last decade.
According to an analysis of National Highway Traffic Safety (NHTSA) data, Brumley Law Firm found that approximately 976 fatal school bus crashes led to over 1,000 deaths and around 132,000 injuries, spanning the years 2013 through 2022. States like Texas and Florida emerged as hotspots for these fatalities. Texas reported 75 school transportation-related crashes and 87 resulting fatalities, while Florida reported 74 crashes and 76 fatalities. The top five was rounded out be Georgia, which experienced 65 deaths in 60 crashes, New York with 59 deaths in as many crashes, and Pennsylvania with 59 deaths in 53 crashes.
Harris County, Texas and Kings County, New York experienced the most school-transportation related crashes between 2013-2022 with 11 each. Cook County, Illinois, Los Angeles County, California, and Maricopa County, Arizona each had nine crashes.
Approximately 111 people are killed and 13,200 people are injured in school bus incidents each year, according to NHTSA. However, statistics reveal that occupants of other vehicles are more likely to become fatally injured in a school bus crash, rather than the occupants of the school bus. Only 11 fatalities on average occur on the school bus, to students or their driver, compared to about 76 occupants in other vehicles. Of the 111 fatalities in the school bus, the NHTSA data indicates 61 were student passengers and 50 were school bus drivers.
Source: Brumley Law Firm analysis of NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemSource: Brumley Law Firm analysis of NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System
Though the school bus itself provides a reliable, secure way for transporting students, NHTSA says it remains concerned about the lingering problem of illegal school bus passing by motorists, which undermines this safety net and demands concerted efforts.
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