Superintendent Says School Bus Spared Fatal Blow

By Terry Witt – Spotlight Senior Reporter

School Superintendent Chris Cowart said Friday the school bus accident that seriously injured two Yankeetown girls Wednesday could have been much worse if the driver of the semi-tractor-trailer that hit the bus had not turned the steering wheel at the last minute.

“We are blessed by the grace of God that the driver turned the wheel at the last minute instead of being a direct impact by the cab on the back of the bus. It would have been more grave and much more serious and a possible fatality,” Cowart said. “It hit the sleeper portion of the truck cab. The other thing that was very, very blessed was that the semi-trailer was empty and so it did not have any weight in the back.”

Cowart said the two girls are recovering and receiving medical care at Shands Hospital, and while they will have a long road to recovery, he said they should pull through. He spoke to Spotlight Friday as he was driving back to Levy County after his visit to the hospital.

The accident occurred on U.S. 19 around 3:46 p.m. as 10 Yankeetown School children were being delivered home after classes. The bus stopped on U.S. 19 at its usual place. Cowart said the driver had turned on the emergency flashing lights well before she stopped as well as the stop bar.

“Our bus driver had the lights engaged for a lengthy amount of time, had the stop bar engaged for a lengthy amount of time, had the parking brake on, she did exactly what she is trained to do along with other staff that arrived from the school at the scene and district staff. Their training kicked in just like any EMT, paramedic, or law enforcement officer. I’m extremely proud of our staff at Yankeetown School and our other district staff that approached and were on the scene shortly after the crash.”

Cowart said all 10 of the students on the school bus at the time of the crash were from Yankeetown School. He said that despite the serious injuries to the two girls who were hurt the worst, their parents are thankful the daughters are going to survive.

“I realize it’s easy for me to sit here – I’m not the parent of a child – but will tell you that those parents feel very blessed that their children are still here and they are thankful for our school staff and the bus driver for what she did,” Cowart said.

Asked about the safety features on the bus, Cowart said he is not an expert on the bus’s construction, but he does know that the bus passed inspection on the morning before the crash. He said it’s a well-built school bus.

“I know that the way that bus was built saved these girls’ lives, that’s what I know,” he said. “That bus had actually gone through a 28-day inspection that morning.”

Sheriff Bobby McCallum said he was delayed in arriving at the scene on the day of the crash but his deputies were the first to get there and were part of the effort to remove the two girls pinned in the wreckage. He said the Florida Highway Patrol is in charge of the investigation. His deputies also managed traffic until they were no longer needed.

“There were two pinned in the bus. It was a terrible accident, that’s for sure,” McCallum said.