New York bus driver fails to report accident while students onboard

A large number of fender benders do not result in injury. When a driver feels fine, it is completely up to them whether they will seek medical attention to determine any injury. When the driver is a school bus driver with passengers on board, there is a duty to make sure that the students are taken care of after even the smallest accident.

New York officials are investigating a school bus driver after he failed to report a bus accident that occurred while 21 students were onboard the vehicle. Not only did the students have to rely on the driver to bring them to school on time, but they also had to rely on the driver to keep them safe.

The trust for a safe transport seems to have been broken when the students arrived at Hillcrest Elementary School and reported that their bus driver had gotten into an accident. Several of them complained of head and neck pain. Others reported to the school officials that they felt dizzy.

Officials immediately called for medical attention from paramedics with Peekskill Emergency Medical Services and the Peekskill Fire Department. After an initial consult, eight of the students were transported by an ambulance to the nearest hospital. Another 13 students whose injuries required less immediate attention were taken to the hospital by a bus.

Authorities were surprised with the accident report from the school because the bus driver had failed to report that any had occurred. An inspection of the school bus showed damage to the side that was most likely the result of the driver sideswiping another vehicle. It is unclear whether the second vehicle had been moving or parked when it was hit by the bus.

Source: Justice News Flash, “NY School Bus Driver Investigated for Not Reporting Crash; 21 Injured,” Nov. 18, 2011