Driver arrested after Tennessee school bus crash kills several children

[muriel_volestrangler]

Source: CBS

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. -- The driver of an elementary school bus involved in a deadly crash Monday has been arrested, Chattanooga Police Chief Fred Fletcher told reporters in a nighttime briefing.

Five children were killed, Fletcher said. Earlier reports had put the number at six.
...
Fletcher said Johnthony Walker, 24, is being charged with five counts of vehicular homicide, reckless endangerment, and reckless driving.

Twenty-four students were taken to hospitals, Fletcher said, but he didn’t have information about the extent of their injuries. Media reported it took about two hours to get the last children off the bus.



Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/driver-arrested-after-tennessee-school-bus-crash-kills-several-children/

[LisaM]

1. Curious about where they get their drivers.

Our bus drivers were seasoned pros, unionized, fulltime, and did things like go to bus rodeos to hone their skills. Now the schools contract out to lowball companies, they are part time with split shifts, and probably not experienced (this guy seems young to be driving a school bus). I wish the story provided more information about how well trained the drivers are, etc. Every time I see a story like this, I look for that information.

[Chemisse]

2. I would be nervous about hiring such a young driver.

Young men tend to drive fast, something car insurance premiums attest to. I drove recklessly when I was young, too. It's not just men.

[cannabis_flower]

7. That sounds like a terrible assumption..

Maybe even a little racist. Kids don't chose their names and judging someone because of their name is just wrong.

[bettyellen]

8. namaste

[NWCorona]

9. Raven is that you?

[LisaM]

4. I did too (though I don't think I would have with a bus full of kids).

But I hear a lot about bus accidents these days, and I think the subtext is that they are not as well trained and well paid as they used to be. School districts love cutting the funding for things like this - and of course, these are exactly the kind of jobs that would assist in rebuilding rural America.

[dixiegrrrrl]

5. if you read the link, it is so much worse than driving fast.........

CBS News correspondent Mark Strassman reports a mom who had three kids on the bus, one of whom died, said that just before crashing, the driver said something to the effect of “Is everyone here ready to die?” and then seconds later, the bus was on its side and five kids were killed. The mom said she had complained repeatedly about the driver’s behavior before the accident, but no official responded.

Johnthony Walker, 24, is being charged with five counts of vehicular homicide, reckless endangerment, and reckless driving.

[Chemisse]

11. I didn't see that. That is horrific.

An accident is bad enough, but to intentionally put these little lives in danger is impossible to understand.

[LisaM]

6. Yep, the story just got worse.

Ugh.

[NWCorona]

10. Every parents worst nightmare. I could only imagine