RENTON, Wash. – As Robert Jones watched the moment when two school buses collided last month, he was quickly reminded of what it was like on that June 3 morning.
“A lot of kids displaced, going to the hospital, parents rushing to the scene. You know it was chaos out there that day, chaos,” said Jones.
The accident happened around 9:40 a.m. on Southwest Sunset Boulevard. The school bus had picked up students near an apartment complex in Renton.
In the accident report, the school bus driver told investigators, “the kids were being unruly, making a lot of noise, and standing in their seats.” The driver added that the behavior caused him to look in the rearview mirror just as the school bus in front of him started slowing down. The second school bus was coming to a stop because another school bus driver had extended the stop sign flap.
As Jones watched the video outside of his apartment complex, several students who were onboard the buses during last month’s crash gathered around. Jones used that moment to remind his young neighbors about safety on the school bus.
“You sit down, you don't stand up, so the bus driver can do what,” he asked.
“Concentrate,” the students replied.
The bus driver who hit the second bus was cited for inattentive driving. He still a bus driver in the Renton School District.
