I’ve written blogs in the past about how important it is for drivers to remain vigilant in school zones. It’s also imperative that people pay attention on school bus routes. It’s the LAW that drivers yield and stop for school buses with a stop-arm extended. In North Carolina, you can face a fine of $200 and points on your driver license if you fail to stop for a school bus. Worse: when these rules are ignored, school kids get hurt.
An eleven-year-old student at Chestnut Grove Junior High School in King, NC went to the hospital instead of school on the morning of April 29, 2011. Luckily, the sixth grader did not sustain life-threatening injuries. Truly a miracle—the driver who hit her was travelling at an estimated 40 mph! The girl is receiving treated in Winston-Salem at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center.
Driver Dorothy Smith said that she did not see the girl or the school bus just prior to the accident. Troopers say the school bus did indeed have its stop-arm out—which indicates that all traffic must slow down and stop behind the bus—at the time of the accident. Charges—though still pending further investigation—appear likely against Dorothy Smith, who is reportedly a school system employee.
Comments for this article are closed.