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Two Injured In School Bus Crash; 34 On Bus, Bus Driver Charged
November 10, 2010
An Escambia County School bus with 33 students was involved in a crash this afternoon in Bratt that sent two people to the hospital.
Escambia School District bus 28-06 rear-ended a pickup truck on North Highway 99 at Hall Road, according to the Florida Highway Patrol about 4:10 p.m. Bus driver Stephanie Morgan, 36, of Century was northbound on North Highway 99 when she collided with the pickup driven by Terri Muller, 50, of Pensacola. Muller had stopped for traffic turning in front of her, according to the FHP.
The bus was occupied by 33 Ernest Ward Middle and Northview High school students. Northview student Shila Reid, 15, was transported by ambulance to Atmore Community Hospital with minor injuries. Muller, the pickup truck driver, was transported to the hospital by ambulance with minor injuries.
Several other students were evaluated by EMS but not transported. Morgan was not injured.
Morgan, the bus driver, was charged with careless driving by the Florida Highway Patrol.
Multiple EMS units from Atmore Ambulance and Escambia County EMS responded to the call, along with the Walnut Hill Station of Escambia Fire Rescue.
For more photos from the scene, click here.
Pictured above: A Northview High School student was transported to an area hospital following the crash, one of two people sent to the hospital. Pictured below: A school bus rear-ended a pickup truck Tuesday afternoon in Bratt. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Comments
43 Responses to “Two Injured In School Bus Crash; 34 On Bus, Bus Driver Charged”
Alot of our bus drivers drive extremely too fast…
I see a lot of good people who are bus drivers on there cell phones too many times. Even with your ear piece on if your engaged in conversation your not focused at the job in hand. Just saying. Not that this is what happened I’ve never seen stephanie on her phone but I have seen others. Stephanie keep your chin up this will pass you have done a great job most do not understand what it is like. But we choose to drive and sometimes things happen just be thankful no serious injuries occurred. And to the comments about seat belts good luck getting most of these stubborn teenagers to keep them on and still get them home on time so parents aren’t complaining. Sure we can do seat belt checks every 5 miles but imagine what time your kid would get home you wouldn’t be happy about that either no win for the driver can’t please all parents and supervisors.
As a former school bus driver I know what it is like to have to maintain control and continually monitor large groups of kids who were wound up anyway because it was the end of the school day. I was one of the lucky ones who was never involved in an accident with students on board. It can happen to anyone though. I feel for this bus driver.
I`m betting some of the people who put down bus drivers really have no idea what this job really involves.
Its sad that a parent who trusts us to provide the free ride for their child, cant or wont support the same bus driver(s) theyre so quick to condemn.
I`ve been in a position more than a few times where a parent has had to be called in regards to their childs behavior, and more often than not after listening to the parents denial/comments I can understand why their little darlin isnt such a darlin on the bus. Nothing like being told how to do my job by someone that has NO CLUE what my job involves! I must add that not all parents are like this.
And to the parents out there that allow their kids to drive a car to school everyday, you`d be shocked to know how many times I get passed by these drivers exceeding the speed limits in no passing zones ( no they are not hurrying because theyre late)…
as for the comment someone made about not doing anything to people who run a bus when the stop lights are out, its not easy to jot down tag numbers when they do that, especially when we`re watching to be sure the child we are stopping for gets on the bus safe
I know many of the drivers have had problems with cars passing at a high rate of speed in no passing zones only to have them pass us and brake suddenly to make a turn and often not even using their turn signals.
Then when all the stuff outside the bus is going on, we have passengers (not everyone) doing distractive and disruptive things that can at the very least be very starteling to a driver.
The idea of an assistant on a bus isnt a bad idea but probably wont happen because of the cost, and we all know tax payers would gripe about another 1cent increase even if it meant a safer environment for bus riders, so for the time being, maybe parents need to get tougher with their kids for their disruptive behaviors that can and does contribute to accidents.
And Stephanie, hang in there, ignore the negative (and ignorance) of some that have no clue…
Mrs. Reid,
Well Well Well said.
Thank you
Mickey Powell
I am the mother of the child that was taken to the hospital….first of all I would like to say that Shila is ok…..second of all….this is address to Stephanie….we are not mad at you….dont be upset….she is ok….third of all….NOBODY from the school has called to check on her….the only person we have heard from is Stephanie….she is a caring person…..my daughter will be back on the bus…and I hope Stephanie is driving….
Everybody has their own opinion….and thats your right…..like I have mine and mine will be address to the right person…..and it doesnt have anything to do with Stephanie…..
By the way….I am a parent that make her kids wear their seat belts….and they will respect adults……..you can ask their teachers
use you cell phone and catch this bus driver send to school board. Sounds like the one that waits to he gets to the stop to put out light likes to scare the drives of other autos. Your cell phones has a recorder tape him and how close he is to the stop before he puts out the sign. I would not be a bus driver they are under paid and over worked. The person that said the buses needs 2 adults on each bus is true. I believe one of the buses that comes from Century has a aide on it. Video has been placed on many buses. All buses needs this.. Parents would be shocked to see what their children are saying and doing while on the bus. Driving a school bus has got to be one of the hardest jobs that there is.
Poor Stephanie! I know she’s feeling just terrible. I drive a bus too. For those of you who are complaining I challenge you to try it. It has to be one of the hardest jobs in the world. (I know about hard jobs, I used to work on the flight deck of a Carrier). Kids throw things, yell at you and each other. HIt and refuse to sit in thier seats. Think the school can fix the problem, nope, no way. The parents are un-involved or just plain don’t care.
Think you can handle all this. Try this.
Put 60+ children behind you. Insist that they wear thier seatbelts. Pull over and make them put them back on again. Take off. Pull over and stop the nose bleed from little one #1 that got punched in the nose by little one #2. Take off again. Drop off the first student while watching that “ONLY” the child that is supposed to get off there actually gets off. Make sure that the guy in the car coming at you is watching the road while he’s chatting on his cell phone. Get the kids to put thier seat belts back on again. Take off. Answer a call from dispatch asking where someones little one is at. Tell the kids to put thier seat belts back on. Remind them to not hit each other and not to scream unless thier life is in danger. Take off again. Repeat, repeat, repeat. Add to that, you are driving a HUGE vehicle that takes time to stop. The cars fly around you because you are wasting thier time by stopping to let kids off. Drivers that are so busy putting on make-up/shaving/texting/looking for a lighter to light thier cigarrette, etc etc etc, that they don’t even slow down at your stop arm. The kids are screaming and jumping around. The parents yell at you because thier sweet little angels would never, ever, do whatever. That’s just a small taste of what goes on every single day. 3 schools a day, twice a day, mon.- fri.
And those seat belts that parents love so much? Terrible idea. They won’t wear them. They may start out that way, but as soon as you pull off, off they come. They are used for weapons, and are great for tying each other up!
Why do we do this, over and over again? Every day, 6 times a day? For recognition? Nope, we don’t get any. For the thanks we get from the parents? The respect from the kids? Nope, none of that either. Must be for the money then right? No way, most single drivers have a second job to make ends meet. So why do we get on the bus each and every day? Rain or shine, Freezing cold or hot enough to melt pavement. Through abusive parents, screaming kids, and ignorant drivers. We do it because we love these kids like our own. We do it for the one kid who tells you “thanks”. We do it because there is nothing else we’d rather be doing. We are well educated, mostly retired from other jobs. Many of us have military backgrounds.
Please don’t judge us until you have done what we do. Try it. We need good drivers. Betcha don’t last a week.
Stephanie, it could have happened to any one of us. Don’t beat yourself up gal.
Oh, and the best idea I’ve seen on here. Put an asst. on every single bus. That way the driver can “DRIVE” the bus and the asst. can keep the little darlings from killing each other.
Stephanie, glad you are alright and I pray that the students that were injured are doing alright. Keep your head up and know that you have a lot of support.
As a bus driver, I would like to say that we get on the roads everyday in all kinds of conditions and we treasure our precious cargo. We wouldn’t dare do anything to hurt one, accidents happen and that’s just what it was, an accident. Instead of having 2 adults on the bus like some suggest, they are now giving us longer buses to carry more students. Instead of a 65 passenger bus many of us are driving 77 passenger buses with no intercom. I have 67 elementary students on my 77 passenger bus that I drive by myself with no other adults on board. It takes me 40 minutes to get them all home safely. Yes, I have seatbelts and before we leave the school I make sure they are all buckled but as soon as I turn my back to walk back to the front they are already taking them off! It’s not an easy job and the pay is definitely not worth it. Men and women that pick up our garbage get paid more than we get for transporting children!!! But at the end of the day I get satisfaction in knowing that I may have said or done something to make a positive difference in a child’s life. Check in to our working conditions before slamming school bus drivers, maybe it will open your eyes. Parents, help us out, please talk to your child about school bus safety!
A drug screen on both the bus driver and the pickup driver should have been done. EVERYTIME And, they pay for it. Not the tax payer.
Mickey Powell
Flomaton
WOW!! GLAD THAT EVERY1 WASN’T SERIOUSLY INJURED….EVERYTHING HAPPENS FOR A REASON BUT COME ON NOW I HAVENT HEARD OF A BUS GETTING IN A WRECK IN A WHILE NOW..BUT YU KNOW GOD WORKS IN MYSTERIOUS WAYS!!
I’m glad to see that there are people who realize that they can’t or won’t do our jobs and I am glad to see that there are people that appreciate what we do. We are human too and do appreciate the encouragement given to us by the children as well as the parents. We do this job because we love our “bus babies” and then there are days we wonder why??? The bus driver of that bus has worked hard for the last 5 years and she takes her job seriously as do the rest of us. Things happen, we deal with it and then we go on. Just know that the school bus drivers in escambia county are the best drivers out there. We are here to do a job that we love and we do it faithfully everyday. We’re like the mailman, neither rain, nor snow, nor sleet, nor hail, nor dark of night will keep us from our appointed duties (however that saying goes). The next time you see your children’s or grandchildren’s bus driver, let them know that you appreciate them by just saying thank you or job well done. Now let’s get back to the business of getting the children to and from school.
I feel sorry for ANY bus driver and praise them for their courage and dedication. 99.9% of them are very responsible adults and do their best. I’m sure this was totally an accident and Stephanie feels very bad. Back when I rode the bus to Byrneville and Century, 50 plus years ago, Mr. Bryan and Mr. Stuckey would put you off the bus if you misbehaved – even in the middle of highway 4. Driver’s can’t do that now-a-days.
And as we all know, most parents do not teach their kids to respect their elders anymore but teach them instead to talk back and question authority. What can a bus driver threaten the kids with — “You sit down, put your seat belt on, be quiet, and quit hitting, now, or I will tell your parents”? The parents KNOW their child is an angel………
Drivers should have a video camera, pointed toward the kids, and after 2 warnings, suspend them from riding the bus (without a pay penalty for the drivers even if they end up with only 2 kids). Then the parents could haul them back and forth for awhile and if they protest, show them the video.
I realize accidents happen, As a school bus driver she is responible for the lives of our children. She is doing a great job and one fender bender is not going to ruin her life. People who don’t understand what she is dealing with everyday are willing to shout out and condeme. Have some compassion for her. I am happy that no one is seriously injured.
wow I know i sure couldn’t meet all those standards Tammy. That is for sure a multi tasking and nerve racking job . I know Stephanie and she is a good person and people should really think before they cast stones at her. They need to realize that alot of us could not fill these bus drivers shoes.
WANTED: SCHOOL BUS OPERATORS
Start Pay $9.98
Call Escambia Co. Transportation
Requirements:
Keep 30 to 60 students (sometimes more) in their seats at all times.Make sure all have on seatbelts.
Make sure all students are behaving at all times (No fighting, No Horseplaying, No name calling, No shooting each other with rubberbands etc. etc. etc.)
Able to watch five mirrors, all the gauges, pedestrians that are walking, riding bikes or just daydreaming while they are driving.
Able to listen to the two-way radio, for trains and other noises outside the bus.
Able to wipe noses,dry tears and give hugs when needed.
ALWAYS BE ON TIME.
Most important: KEEP A SMILE ON YOUR FACE!!!!
i drive a bus and I love my job and my children, but that doesn”t mean they don’t get next to you. you know that we can’t just send the students to the hallway when they don’t listen. If you think the bus is not safe, then we want to let you know that we are safe drivers and we do take our job very seriously. We invite all of you that would like to join the team on driving to do so . Remember there is always more then just what your child tell you, leaving out there part, not seating down, yelling out, hanging out the window, and throwing things across the bus. You know as parents some don’t listen and you know when a driver trieds to tell a parent and the child doesn’t do know wrong. throwing stones is not a good habbit to get into, It might come back on you, and I hope it don’t hit you hard.
The driver is a good driver and I am so glad she is ok and also all of the children. Keep in mind we don;t do this job because we have to, we do it because we enjoy your children. We would not doing anything to harm them and we would hope you could help when we need help, with your child.
KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK. TO ALL THAT CRITISIZE AND CONVICT, UNTIL YOU DRIVE A SCHOOL BUS YOU DO NOT HAVE A CLUE.
Ok this was an accident. Just because she hit someone does not mean she was being careless or was not being cautious. Accidents happen. Parents have accidents with their children all the time and this is no different. So don’t come on here attacking the bus driver for an accident. It’s not like she hit the truck on purpose.
How many of you parents make your children wear seat belts when they drive or when they are riding with you or someone else. Just a thought. The bus drivers do the best they can, but they can’t drive and watch everything going on behind them. They are advertising for drivers if any of you want to apply. Walk a mile in their shoes before you condemn them.
I hope all are ok from this accident.
There is no way a bus driver can “make” 30+ kids keep thier seat belt on. I remember being a teen riding the bus…very easy to hide what you’re doing when the driver has thier back to you! Teens can be hellians on the bus especially in the afternoon after being confined in classrooms all day! I’m not saying all are, but parents would be very surprised if they only knew a fraction of what’s done on the bus~or even done TO the bus driver!
The driver can’t watch the rode AND the kids at the same time. Sometimes a radio going can balance out background noises so sudden noises don’t catch the driver’s attention at a bad spot in traffic…I keep mine on in my car for that reason, so I can focus on the road instead of what my husband & son are saying/doing!
The idea of having a second adult on the bus to help watch is a good idea. They have to have extra adults when going on field trips, why not on the morning & afternoon buses???
I’m not saying all problems are the kids either ~ I’ve turned in drivers for careless driving, speeding, talking on cell while driving, etc…not that it done any good. You can’t point all at the driver or all at the kids, accidents can happen in ideal conditions too…that’s why it’s called an “accident”!
There should be 2 people on each and every bus. If you parents were so worried about the safety of your kids then maybe instead of running your mouths on here you should write a letter to someone who can do something about it. It is not easy driving a schoolbus, listening to M3, watching to make sure kids are seated and buckled, and watching all that goes on outside the bus. Somehow everyday men and women all over the country do it. These men and women driving your precious babies have one of the hardest jobs around. If you don’t believe me then you try it. Walking a mile in their shoes might just make you appreciate the crap these people have to put up with. To the driver involved in this, you keep your head up because this was and accident and could have happened to anyone.
THE SCHOOL SYSTEM COULD NOT PAY ME ENOUGH TO DRIVE A BUS LOADED WITH 30 YOUNG PEOPLE WHO HAVE JUST GOTTEN OUT OF SCHOOL. I FEEL THAT MOST IF NOT ALL OF THE DRIVES ARE SPECIAL IN BEING ABLE TO PUT UP WITH ALL THAT GOES ON ON THE BUS.
As a parent driving we can get distracted by one child in the car. Add another child and the distraction is worse. Imagine 30+ (and that is a low estimate), all talking, some yelling, bouncing and moving about all while your back is to the children. You could not pay me enough to drive a bus. Then you have the kids that constantly complain about their strict bus drivers. I would rather the driver be strict any day of the week. Seat belts? Drivers can try to enforce the kids to wear them but once again as soon as the driver is on the road with their backs turned the belts can be undone. Most of the drivers do a great job. I don’t know what happened to cause the accident but my heart goes out to the driver, the students involved, their parents, and the other driver. If you see a serious problem with a bus, by all means report it. We all make mistakes when driving no matter how cautious we are trying to be. The only difference is that most of us have only a couple of passengers on board with us.
>>Just a Thought wrote: It’s a little late now, but if you’re going to print photos(up close)…..you really should block out tag numbers in this situation.
We don’t edit the content of photos. The driver’s name is in the story, and the owner of the vehicle and their information is also public record (that we don’t print). Why would we block out the tag number?
It’s a little late now, but if you’re going to print photos(up close)…..you really should block out tag numbers in this situation.
The damage doesn’t look that bad, however, I’ve been in this type of accident, with little vehicle damage, & had to have surgery as a result. Definately, is not a pleasant situation.
Accidents happen that’s why there called accidents. People are always so quick to judge. Think they should try to drive a bus. I always said they should have 2 people on there 1 to drive and the other 2 control the children. That would be a lot safer. I didn’t think that way till I drove. You would be suprized @ what some of these kids do on a bus. The high seats keep you from seeing everything that goes on. I thank God for the bus drivers. They have a hard job. They have to deal with the parents that think their kid does no wrong, the supervisers down town, students that don’t listen and some of the schools. Good luck drivers!!
Being a bus driver is a very difficult job, I know because I’ve been one for 10 years. We all make mistakes because guess what we are human, not perfect by any means. We do the very best that we can every day. Our own children and grandchildren also ride these buses. We deal with children, adminstrators, parents, dispatch, paperwork, other drivers, fellow bus drivers, the schools, routes, medical problems, fights, arguments, discipline probelms, disrespect from students, among other things and that’s just for one school and one route. This happens 6 times a day because we deal with 3 different schools in the morning and then again in the afternoon. We also deal with safety issues everyday. People pull out in front of us, cut us off, blow their horns at us and when somene hits us they claim that they didn’t see us (how do you not see a big yellow bus). We do take the seatbelt issue seriously and we do make them wear them but we can’t help it that when our backs are turned they take them off. We even write referrals about them not wearing them. I tell you what if you guys that are complianing about all of this can do a better job, they do have job positions available for you to drive. I would like for parents to be able to ride with us at least one day or even a week and then they will see what all we go thru. Remember we do this job because we love kids, (your kids-ourkids). We do the very best that we can each and every day. The last thing that we want to do is have an accident but remember we are human and things do happen whether we want it to or not but until you’ve walked (or drove) a mile in our shoes DON’T JUDGE US!!! From A Bus Driver Who’s Been There!!!!
oh sorry, I just realized I said that happened in the morning and it wasn’t …
that happened in the afternoon. SORRY!
This guy just acts like he is a bully with a big lethal vehicle.
.
Greg
I hear you…and your right
There is even a school bus driver who has to stop on jernigan in the mornings
and he likes to come up to his stop and act like he going to pull in front of youEY
and turn into a small road before he ever stops or puts his signal on or lights.
It’s like he just jerks the wheel as if to say, “HEY STOP I’M GOING TO STOP HERE
The first time I came home that way I had no clue the school bus coming
towards me had a stop there until he whipped his wheel and glared at me
when my husband and I slammed on our breaks, then suddenly his lights and
sign came out and he stopped.
He actually wants to stop you some other way first rather than put out the bus
signals and stop. If you don’t know he is going to do that its a shock and
scares the crap out of you. We now know thats his stop and he is going to
do that and we have seen him do that to another person who didn’t know
it was a stop for the oncomming bus.
The cars were not speeding either…..
well i have also reported bus problems and nothing has been done about it. my childrens bus has seat belts and the bus driver does not make them wear them.
i have seen so many people run through the bus stop sign out here and the bus driver never does anything also my daughter almost got run over because of that one afternoon. so not 1 bus can be singled out alot of them have faults, and like someone else said we put r children in their hands,
I have also seen a bus pull 2 a stop and i could hear the radio over all the kids yelling so tell me how the bus driver can even hear anything ????????????????
In Response to All :
Put yourself in the shoes of the bus drivers… 30+ children all talking and laughing and sometimes screaming at each other; the driver may be distracted at times. I know as a parent that even one child can get distracting..let alone 30+. My heart goes out to the children and the bus driver (who probably feels worse than anyone). This bus driver is a parent also. It takes a mile of nerves to drive a school bus. Give them credit where credit is due. WE ALL MAKE MISTAKES!!!!!!
Vehicle stopped for traffic and then is rear ended by a bus… Someone is going to get PAID (at our expense)!
I can’t single out this bus driver or any other for that matter, but I have observed on many occasions where school buses will pull out in front of oncoming traffic like on Hwy 29 where the speed limit is 65. They will be full of children and seem to give it no thought. I have seen 18 wheelers and log trucks have to slam on their breaks to keep from hitting them. This continues to happen on a regular basis. I guess the bus drivers just figure that no one will hit them. Now I’m not talking about while letting children on or off the bus with red lights flashing, I’m talking about just pulling out in front of traffic. I have gotten the bus numbers a few times and reported it and was told that they would look into it but it continues to happen. If I had school age children, I wouldn’t let them ride the bus. Now I’m not saying all bus drivers are this careless, I’m sure many are very safe and cautious, but there are more than one that are not.
and the children are in fact supposed to be wearing them
in response to the buses having seatbelts….i ride an 05 bus and it has seatbelts so i can promise u this bus has seatbelts.
my heavens. WHY CANT PEOPLE BE MORE CAUTIOUS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I DONT EVEN KNOW WHAT TO SAY ANYMORE. MY SON RIDES THIS BUS. WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO PUT TRUST INTO THE TRANSPORTATION OF THE DRIVERS THAT TRANSPORT OUR CHILDREN TO SCHOOL !!!!!!!!!!! GLAD EVERYONE IS OK.
when will all school buses nationwide be required to be equipped with seat belts and the children be securely belted in?
this was NOT a bad accident. there is hardly any damage. fire and ems were waiting for parents as the children couldnt be released until a parent or guardian was available.
Shila daddy is on his way. Love you girl.
It says the parents of the STUDENT (singular) has been notified…I would take that to mean that the parents of the injured student taken to the hospital has been notified, no where in this article does it say that ALL parents have been notified.
I hope that all of the parents are notified about this, so that they can go pick up their children. I know there are alot of parents still wondering where in the world the school bus is that brings their children home… Hope all is alright.
well all of the parents had not been notified because my friends son goes to EW and she had to call the school to find out where the bus was! this was a bad accident but im glad that everyone is ok!