The sun is bright, the sky is blue and clear, and the weather is perfect. It’s the last day of the school year for your children. You plan to pick them up from their bus stop, and take them for ice cream. You patiently wait at the corner of your street. You look to your left, and see the bus is coming up the hill. On your right a pick up truck is a fair distance away. The bus comes to a slow stop. The red lights are flashing, and the stop sign swings out. Your kids eagerly hop out of the bus with smiles filled with excitement. They spot you ,and their smiles grow. As they’re crossing the road, you see out of the corner of your eye the truck getting closer and closer at a very fast speed. The bus driver begins to honk, and you attempt to tell your kids to turn back. The truck doesn’t falter, and it continues to speed down the hill. BOOM! This isn’t a dream, it’s reality.
The Situation
One of he most tragic accidents happened in Indiana. Twin brothers Xzavier and Mason, their sister Alivia Stahl and Maverik Lowe left their neighborhood around 7:15 am to board their school bus. The children were crossing the rural two lane highway, which was stopped in the northbound lane with its lights flashing and "STOP" arm extended. According to Michelle Jumper, an Indiana State Police detective, the bus driver told investigators he saw the oncoming truck's headlights. Because the truck was far back and had plenty of time to slow, the bus driver waved to the children, telling them to cross. The bus driver honked the horn when it was evident that the truck wasn’t slowing down. It was then, the truck collided with the four kids, killing three and putting one in critical condition.
The witness driving behind the truck said they were going about 45 mph. The witness also said the truck's headlights illuminated the children as they were crossing the road and she started to freak out as she realized that the truck ahead of her was not slowing down. The truck driver Alyssa Shepherd claimed that she came around the corner, saw there was something big with lights, but didn’t recognize it as a bus. She stated that she did not see the school bus or the kids until it was too late. Shepherd was charged with three counts of reckless homicide and a misdemeanor count of passing a school bus when a signal arm is extended. This isn’t the only accident to happen this week.
Other Incidents
In central Pennsylvania, a 7-year-old boy was waiting at his bus stop. He was struck and killed by a slow-moving car that was unaware that they hit the child. His bus driver found him dead and immediately called 911.
In Tampa, Florida, five children and two adults were rushed to a hospital after being hit by a fast moving car at a school bus stop. One kid was critically injured, and the other four were seriously injured.
In Marietta, Mississippi, Dalen Thomas was hit by a truck while trying to board his school bus. An ambulance took Thomas to a nearby medical center. He was then airlifted to a children’s hospital in Memphis Tennessee, where he later died. Officials say 22-year-old Hunter Newman was the driver of the truck. He's been charged with aggravated assault. These cases happened after the one in Indiana.
Bus Stop Regulations
All of the fifty states, have rules that apply to these types of situations.
Florida
- All drivers moving in either direction must stop for a stopped school bus which is picking up or dropping off children.
- Cars must also remain stopped until the arm is withdrawn. In Indiana, cars driving on a highway that is divided by a barrier or unimproved median are required to stop only if they are traveling in the same direction as the school bus.
- Cars do not have to stop if the car and a school bus are traveling in opposite directions on a road that has more than two lanes and is separated by a median strip not for vehicle travel.
Mississippi
- A car must stop for a school bus, regardless of its direction, whenever the bus is stopped and receiving or discharging children.
- A car may not proceed until all children have safely crossed the street. This rule applies to all highways including four lanes.
Pennsylvania
- Law requires that motorists approaching from either direction come to a full stop and remain stopped until the bus’ red lights no longer flash.
A total of six accidents all occured in the span of one week. Each accident happening in the early morning. The eleven kids who were affected thought it was going to be a normal day. However, six kids were left critically injured and five lost their life. This all due to reckless driving. That day will never be the same for those kids or their family.
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