By Terry Witt – Spotlight Senior Reporter
The Florida Highway Patrol said Thursday the agency is in the early stages of an investigation to determine why a tractor and trailer crashed into the rear of a Levy County school bus Wednesday afternoon injuring five student passengers, two of them seriously.
FHP said the 56-year-old female school bus driver had stopped on U.S. 19 with her bus’s red lights flashing to allow students to exit the bus at Southeast 140th Lane when the tractor-trailer truck, driven by a 34-year-old Seffner, Fla. man, slammed into the back of the bus. Both vehicles were headed north.
The crash occurred at 3:46 p.m. when students were being delivered home after classes.
Photographs of the two vehicles provided by FHP show the cab of the truck missed the brunt of the collision but it appears the front corner of the truck trailer hit the back of the school bus with force causing extensive damage to the rear of the bus.
Lt. Patrick Riorden said FHP traffic investigators were examining both vehicles today for clues that might give them a better idea of what happened in the crash, but he said they don’t know at this point if distracted driving, impaired driving, or some other factor contributed to the collision, or if the truck driver applied his brakes. He said it appears the truck driver made some effort to steer left.
Riorden said the driver could be cited for a traffic infraction if there was no proof a crime was committed. Factors such as impairment by drugs or alcohol could trigger a criminal charge if an analysis of the driver’s blood reveals he was impaired at the time of the crash, but the test results aren’t known at this point.
If someone had died in the crash, which didn’t happen, Riorden said that also could change which state statutes apply to the case and whether the driver might potentially be charged. The injuries to two of the children were serious.
The driver of the truck was wearing a seatbelt and wasn’t injured. The school bus driver was wearing a seatbelt and suffered minor injuries.
FHP hasn’t released any of the names. Ten children were riding in the bus at the time of the crash.
No charges have been filed and no traffic citations have been issued.
Enterprise Reporting by Terry Witt March 31, 2022; Posted March 31, 2022
