Bus accidents have been in the news a lot lately, from the Chattanooga school bus crash that killed six children to the Southeast Texas crash that injured 35. Lockhart ISD, just south of Austin, may have just prevented such a tragedy from occurring in the near future by firing a bus driver deemed “incredibly dangerous” by the school district.
Quick Thinking Saves the Lives of Lockhart ISD Students
On April 26, the bus driver left his standard route and, while dropping off four middle school children, put the bus in the path of an 18-wheeler. The 18-wheeler managed to swerve past the bus (an impressive feat – it is NOT easy to get an 18-wheeler to move quickly to avoid an accident) but the truck ended up jackknifing across the road. Fortunately, no one was injured, but if the 18-wheeler had collided with the bus, the results would have been catastrophic.
The driver of the 18-wheeler was praised for his quick thinking, response time and for putting himself in danger in order to protect the lives of the children. The school district reviewed the incident and decided to fire the driver. They also notified the Department of Public Safety, to pursue criminal consequences for the reckless driver.
Lockhart ISD will be providing drivers with additional training on mandatory compliance with school bus routes and safety protocols to hopefully prevent these kinds of incidents in the future.
