School bus full of middle schoolers collides with dump truck, slams off New Jersey highway

a reply to: PsychoEmperor

The bus hit the guard raid which remains intact. The body flew right off the chassis making me think speed was a factor.
The dump truck still has its load.

a reply to: Sillyolme

I don't want to jump to conclusions about this but I'm sure we've all seen our fair share of bus drivers and dump truck drivers who didn't appear to be the most cautious drivers. I see drivers far too often driving as if they are immortal because they happen to be in a large vehicle. I don't know what the case was here, it's just so very sad.


80 West and one lane on 80 east is still closed. They are using 46 as an alternate route, so I suspect that route will have heavy traffic as well.

a reply to: PsychoEmperor

Let's be honest.

Very often, a bus loaded out with middle school kids isn't going to be the quietest place either. It's possible something was taking place inside the bus that had the driver distracted.

a reply to: randyvs

The construction of the interior seat height length spacing something something. They say it's compartmentalized like a giant egg carton. I can't remember all the arguments they gave.
Some cities have installed them in Virginia now.

originally posted by: Sillyolme
a reply to: randyvs

They've been installing them on newer buses but not retrofitting older busses at least not in my city. I was interviewed by a research panel with the city council about five or six years ago when it was the subject of a town hall meeting. They decided it was too expensive given that a lot of busses were going to age out of service within five or six years anyway.
I don't know about other cities but I'm thinking they probably had the same arguments about the issue.

Sounds like the people who had kids riding
the bus. Wanted the people without kids on
the bus. To put seat belts on the bus. And
the people without kids on the bus said no.

Double bubble baby

a reply to: ketsuko

There were teachers, parents, and students because they were on a field trip. If I remember and kids haven't changed too much there may have been a version of ninety nine bottles of beer going on. But with that much supervision they probably were not out of hand. Kids are trained from elementary school these days about the strict rules of riding a school bus.

originally posted by: Sillyolme
a reply to: ketsuko

There were teachers, parents, and students because they were on a field trip. If I remember and kids haven't changed too much there may have been a version of ninety nine bottles of beer going on. But with that much supervision they probably were not out of hand. Kids are trained from elementary school these days about the strict rules of riding a school bus.

Ha!

I recall my days of riding the bus. It's not like we were exactly quiet.

originally posted by: Sillyolme
a reply to: randyvs

The construction of the interior seat height length spacing something something. They say it's compartmentalized like a giant egg carton. I can't remember all the arguments they gave.
Some cities have installed them in Virginia now.

So we make laws not to protect anyone.
No tickets can be issued to a kid for not
wearing a seatbelt. No revenue no law.
F=÷*÷+ disgraceful.

originally posted by: Sillyolme
a reply to: ketsuko

If I remember and kids haven't changed too much there may have been a version of ninety nine bottles of beer going on. .

Jeez! How old ARE you??

originally posted by: KansasGirl
Jeez! How old ARE you??

Silly grew up in those halcyon days of yore, the Dark Ages, where everyone lived to a ripe old age of 'died in childbirth'.

a reply to: slapjacks


I'm looking at some additional photos of the scene and I'm wondering if the school bus driver tried to make an illegal U-turn through the median on the pavement law enforcement and DOT vehicles use. The bus is on the wrong side of the highway from where the attraction is located and past the exit where they needed to get off to arrive there.

a reply to: slapjacks

This is particularly scary for me. I drive trucks along that highway from time to time. I can attest to the fact that school busses are the odd ones out on those highways.

They cant get up to speed and New Jersey has WAY TOO MANY winding, merging exits onto roadways with different speeds of traffic flow.

There is no problem if everyone just follows the rules of the road. I am patient like most truck drivers are when changing lanes and going around the slower moving elephants on the highway.

The problems are centered around the bad drivers in all sorts of vehicles. They can make entire lanes of traffic collide or react to their irresponsible actions behind the wheel.

We all see the type. The speed racers that suddenly dip around everyone trying to maintain safe driving conditions in consideration of everyone else. Its not just rude, its dangerous. OR the slow moving traffic that wont stay to the right.

I dont know if someone like that caused this crash but I can take a guess. NJ drivers are insane.

a reply to: tadaman

I thought school buses had governors to prevent them from getting too fast and keeping with the flow of traffic which often runs above the speed limit.

a reply to: ketsuko

The governors are adjustable. Every bus or transport company can set them to their prefered speed. In general they should be able to go slightly over the max speed of the area they are intended to be operated in.

It can take a fully loaded bus or truck over a mile to get up to the minimum speed limit. Thats assuming that the bus or truck is in good running order. I have seen some death boxes running around on 3.9 wheels.

I drove a truck this winter that would not go ever 25 mph until it warned up. I saw some dummies take that same truck and jump on a highway. Common sense can save lives. If you know your vehicle has restrictions or mechanical limitations then you have to operate under those conditions in the safest way possible.

Its really just common sense.

Stay to the right if you arent going over the speed limit. Get in your intended exit lane early on. Dont dip in and out of lanes. Choose groups of vehicles to caravan with at your intended speed and dont bunch up. Leave spaces for passing and merging traffic.

Things like that.

originally posted by: AugustusMasonicus
a reply to: slapjacks


I'm looking at some additional photos of the scene and I'm wondering if the school bus driver tried to make an illegal U-turn through the median on the pavement law enforcement and DOT vehicles use. The bus is on the wrong side of the highway from where the attraction is located and past the exit where they needed to get off to arrive there.

It seems like your instincts are correct Bus Driver made Illegal Turn

I wonder if they are going to prosecute the bus driver now.

originally posted by: PsychoEmperor
It seems like your instincts are correct Bus Driver made Illegal Turn

I wonder if they are going to prosecute the bus driver now.

Yeah, my mom lives one exit before this so I'm pretty familiar with the area, he seems to have passed the exit and wanted to make an illegal turn instead of going to the next one. And yes, they should prosecute him, he got people killed through his negligence, there is a very clear 'No U-turns' sign.

So heart breaking. Because I’m a worrier, every time my kids go on a field trip I worry about freak accidents like this. My heart goes out to all involved.