2006 Huntsville bus crash

The Huntsville bus crash involved a school bus carrying 40 students from Lee High School and a car, both heading to the Huntsville Center for Technology, which occurred on November 20, 2006, on an elevated portion of Interstate 565 in Huntsville, Alabama.

Huntsville bus crash
Details
DateNovember 20, 2006
LocationHuntsville, Alabama
CountryUnited States
LineSchool bus
OperatorLaidlaw Transit
OwnerLaidlaw Transit
Incident typeFall from bridge
Statistics
BusSchool Bus
VehiclesToyota Celica
Passengers41(1 in Celica)
Deaths4
Injured33
5 people were uninjured, 3 on the school bus, and 2 in the Celica.

Incident

On November 20, 2006, around 10 AM, a International school bus carrying forty students from Lee High School to the Huntsville Center for Technology was traveling in the left lane on the elevated two-lane I-565. A 1990 Toyota Celica driven by another Lee High student merged from the left lane to the right and accelerated to pass the bus, but his vehicle began to fishtail and became impossible to control.[1] A student on the bus stated that he saw the car attempted to overtake the bus and lose control, but closed his eyes and grabbed his seat after the collision.[2]

Police stated that the bus went over the side of the road after a car driven by another Lee High student tried to swerve around the bus, causing the bus driver to swerve going over the edge of the elevated roadway.[3] The driver was ejected from the bus before it went over the side of the bridge, as he was not wearing a seat belt.[4] The bus hit the 32-inch-high cement bridge rail and rode the top of the rail for 117 feet before it plunged over the side.[5] The NTSB report for the accident stated that the bus had nose-dived into the ground before coming to a stop.[6]

In later interviews students stated that many grabbed for other students to help them brace and keep them from falling forward, with varying degrees of success.[2] A student recounted that some students were able to evacuate the bus on their own via the emergency door in the back and ceiling of the vehicle. Some students also reportedly tried to enter back into the bus to help students pinned between the seats.[6]

Four students were killed and 33 were injured after the bus plunged almost 40 feet (12 m). Of the four, all were female students who ranged in age from 16 to 19 years old.[5]

Investigation

The initial investigation indicated that the secondary car that had attempted to overtake the bus, had veered into the bus's lane, causing it to scrape along the concrete barrier. The teenage driver of the second car, claimed that a part of the vehicle had malfunctioned and caused the car to drift into the other lane.[7] Investigators raised potential theories that the car might have had a malfunction in the steering system.[2] A criminal investigation into the accident was closed without any charges after toxicology reports for both the bus and car drivers were found to be negative for controlled substances or alcohol.[8]

An investigation into the crash was opened by the NTSB, that was concluded after three years of investigating.[1] It concluded that the driver had lost control of the vehicle during a "passing maneuver" around a curve, during the same time that the driver of a Toyota Celica attempted to overtake the bus prior to an upcoming exit.[9]

The families of the four teenagers killed in the accident filed lawsuits shortly after the accident. The suits named Laidlaw Transit, Anthony Scott, the school bus driver and the driver of the Toyota Celica as defendants, and each suit was settled in 2008.[10] Additional lawsuits were filed by families of about two dozen students who were injured and settled after the first four suits.[8]

Aftermath

The crash was extensively covered by CNN and USA Today.[11][12] A photograph of James "Rusty" Edward Moore Jr. sitting next to his girlfriend who was covered by a blanket went viral, as many thought Moore Jr was sitting next to a dead body. The girlfriend, however, was just resting and cold.[5]

The crash reignited debate over the installation of seat belts in buses, and whether Alabama should follow the lead of states such as Florida in legislating compulsory lap belts.[13] Following the crash Alabama Governor Bob Riley ordered a report be made into the issue. A study group consisting of education and transport officials interviewed 17 expert witnesses, and in early 2007 released recommendations that a pilot program be run with lap and shoulder belts being installed in a limited number of new buses from 2008.[14]

A similar accident occurred on November 21, 2016, in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where a school bus driver lost control of a bus causing it to roll over on its side and crash into a tree, killing six students and injuring 23.

References
  1. National Transportation Safety Board (November 19, 2009). "Highway Accident Brief" (PDF). National Transportation Safety Board. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 25, 2021. Retrieved December 28, 2020.
  2. Hunter, Desiree (December 8, 2006). "Lee High School students recall fatal bus ride to tech: Teens talk about feelings, events leading up to wreck". archive.decaturdaily.com. Archived from the original on February 26, 2021. Retrieved December 28, 2020.
  3. "Bus Accident Update: Fourth Student Dies". Archived from the original on February 16, 2007. Retrieved December 21, 2006.
  4. Cantrell, Aaron (November 19, 2016). "Remembering the Lee High School Bus Crash". WHNT.com. Retrieved July 7, 2019.
  5. Dunigan, Jonece Starr (November 20, 2016). "Finding life after death 10 years after school bus crash killed four". al.com. Retrieved July 7, 2019.
  6. Paker, Dallas (November 21, 2019). "First responders and survivor remember Lee High School bus crash". WHNT.com. Retrieved December 28, 2020.
  7. Dornin, Rusty (November 21, 2006). "Fourth teen dies in Alabama school bus crash - CNN.com". www.cnn.com. Archived from the original on November 21, 2006. Retrieved December 28, 2020.
  8. Staff Reports (November 27, 2008). "Suits in fatal 2006 Huntsville school bus crash settled". The Clanton Advertiser. Archived from the original on May 16, 2021. Retrieved December 28, 2020.
  9. "10 Years Later: Lee High School bus crash". WAFF48. August 12, 2016. Archived from the original on November 19, 2016. Retrieved December 28, 2020.
  10. Gentle, Elizabeth (November 26, 2008). "Four death suits settled in Lee High Bus Crash". WAFF48. Retrieved December 28, 2020.
  11. "At least 3 students killed in school bus crash". CNN. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
  12. "3 students killed in school bus crash in Alabama". USA Today. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
  13. "Story of Strength: Meet Maddie Jamieson". WHNT-TV. September 1, 2012. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
  14. "Recommendations from the Governor's Study Group on School Bus Seat Belts" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on September 30, 2007. Retrieved July 13, 2007.

34.73715°N 86.59298°W / 34.73715; -86.59298

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