Driver of bus that caught fire carrying Rita evacuees charged in deaths

[Roon]

DRIVER OF BUS THAT CAUGHT FIRE WHILE CARRYING HURRICANE RITA EVACUEES CHARGED IN DEATHS OF 23 PASSENGERS

http://abcnews.go.com/

Edited by admin: Changed case of title so it was not entirely in caps.

[Skinner]

1. Could you please edit your post

so it is not entirely in capital letters? Thanks.

ON EDIT: Nevermind. I did it myself.

[Roon]

9. The rule is the post in LBN must match the headline

So I copy and paste, you can't match it any better than that.

[Skinner]

11. Yes, that is the rule.

But it is really annoying to see things entirely in caps.

[Roon]

14. Yeah, I understand that

I hang out in chat rooms on Yahoo and lots of people use caps in politics chat,so I don't even notice when something is all in caps.

[napi21]

2. WHY? It was a terrible tragedy, but if it happened like I heard,

what is the driver being charged with?

I heard it was overheated brakes that caught fire, and the oxygen tanks belinging to some of the ill passengers exploded.

[SteppingRazor]

3. Isn't that like just charging Lyndsie England with Abu Ghraib?

As I recall, the charter company itself approved the bus for use despite the fact that it had failed safety tests.

Shouldn't Global Limo, Inc., be charged as well?

[wtmusic]

5. apt analogy

this seems very odd

[Panda1]

18. James H. Maples and Global Limo

http://www.utu.org/worksite/detail_news.cfm?ArticleID=23903
Bus company owner has tax, debt problems
DALLAS -- State records indicate the owner of a bus in which 23 elderly hurricane evacuees burned to death last week has faced numerous questions about the safety of his bus fleet, as well as tax problems and other disputes over debts, according to this report by David Koenig published by the Chicago Tribune.
James H. Maples operates Global Limo Inc., which was the subject of complaints by three people in 2002 who said the company's vehicles reeked of fuel and were in disrepair, according to a Texas Department of Public Safety report.

Maples told the state Department of Transportation after the complaints that he had made the necessary changes, the report showed. He also filed for bankruptcy this year after years of fighting state tax officials and owners of other businesses.
...
The bus, whose registration had expired, was displaying tags taken from another vehicle, according to the Dallas County Sheriff's Department. According to federal records, drivers for Global Limo were ordered to stop driving five times in the past three years, mostly for infractions regarding bus logs. In 2004, the company was rated as "satisfactory," with no evidence of major safety problems in recent years, records show.
...


But hey, let's go after the bus driver. Disgusting.

[Connie_Corleone]

4. I thought the bus had defective brakes.

[stillcool]

6. no specific examples of illegal actions....

hmmm...
Robles was taken into federal custody on an immigration violation five days after the Sept. 23 explosion near Dallas.
Peritz would not give specific examples of illegal actions by Robles, saying details would be released if he is indicted.
There was no comment from the bus company, Global Limo Inc. of Pharr. Its telephone was disconnected Monday.

[0007]

7. A Mexican National driving the bus, eh? How does he acquire

a commercial driver license? Or is this a legal?

[EC]

13. This is what started the investigation into Ryan in Chicago

he was intangled in a scheme getting licenses for illegals (for a price) then one had an accident and killed a bunch of people, they found his license was bad and traced it back to Ryan...then Fitzpatrick got him (including illegal contributions from Delay's PAC)

[fleabert]

15. "a legal" ?

nice and dehumanizing.

[0007]

17. ,,,,go back to your knitting kid!

[fleabert]

19. ...

amazing.

what, you can't chide me for a low post count, or not having my profile on?

[Realityhack]

20. That was a pritty stupid post.

Looked like a typo to me. No reason to jump on the guy for asking if it was legal for this guy to get a commercial drivers licence.

[fleabert]

22. it's dehumanizing to refer to people solely as "a legal" or 'an illegal'

it pisses me off, and I will respond if I see it.

I didn't jump on anyone, I just called attention to the part of the post that i found offensive. why jump on me because I stand up for eliminating offensive comments?

[Realityhack]

23. I guess I read it diffrently...

you are probobly correct. If so I appologize.
I had read it as a typo... ie is this legal but typed as is this a legal.

Sorry.

[fleabert]

24. I would hope that you are correct and not me!

I have seen far too many posts on DU like that one to first assume a typo, perhaps i am wrong, but...

[daleo]

8. It does seem like they have found a scapegoat

If the bus was unsafe, it's the company who ought to be responsible.

[riderinthestorm]

10. Remember all the RWers going on and on about the buses in NOLA?

Well you can use this as an example of why it was irresponsible to suggest that school bus drivers be pressed into service and forced to haul out nursing home residents, hospital patients, and others....

Charged!

Wouldn't that make anyone think twice about taking on that kind of risk? Especially with high risk populations?

[sendero]

12. This is bullshit.

.... and I hope he gets a jury trial and is exonerated.

He might have been partially culpable, but there have to be plenty more, including ESPECIALLY the owner of the bus who had to know it was a pile of crap.

[RedRocco]

16. So, if you look at it as a precedent

it means if you get hurt on any transportation system the company isn't responsible for it, but the driver/pilot/engineer/captain is?

[Realityhack]

21. Hmm...

Ok. I think the owner of the company and the company itself should stand trial for this as well. They have the greatest blame here.

That said if someone has an illigaly obtaind licence (which this sounds like) and injurs or kills a bunch of people while illigaly operating a vehicle peice of machinery etc. IMO they should be charged with an appropriate crime. Driving without a licence and recless endangerment at the very least. Perhapse manslaughter in the case of a death.

I hope he gets an appropriate sentance rather than being railroaded but it appears he did commit a crime and I can not say I wan't him to get off entirely on it.