Lakeland School Bus Accident Fails to Draw Attention to the Bus Safety Belt Issue.
Posted By
on Oct 19, 2011 2:12pm PDT
A school bus carrying 46 elementary school students collided with a car on South Florida Avenue near Fitzgerald Road in Lakeland. The Ledger reports the
chain reaction crash involved four vehicles and began when the school bus, driven by Joseph Stephens,
rear-ended a car. Eleven students and two adults were taken to the hospital for treatment.
According to Fred Murphy, the Assistant Superintendent for Support Services, the children's injuries were minor. The principal, Janet Wizda, arrived on site to talk with the children and said they stayed calm and behaved. The bus was departing from school when the school bus accident occurred.
This Lakeland auto accident is still under investigation and citations are pending. It is unclear how fast each driver was going. Murphy said the school district will begin an investigation after the crash report is released. He also said there have been three other
school bus accidents this year, but this was the first time a bus was the cause. It is also the first accident in which Stephens has been involved.
Accidents like this one should make schools reflect on whether school buses should include safety belts for students. Fortunately, it appears that no one has a serious injury. However, it should not take serious injury to evaluate whether a change should be made. The main thing that appears to be stopping schools from adding safety belts to the buses is cost. Hopefully no local child's death becomes the price paid for the cost savings.