HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT KILLED IN SCHOOL BUS WRECK
An unspeakable tragedy struck the small northeast Texas community of Simms, Texas last week. A teenager was killed when her car crashed into the rear of a school bus. Jessica Conner, a 16 year-old student at James Bowie High School in Simms, Texas, was driving a Honda Prelude eastbound on U.S. Highway 67 around 3:30 p.m. Jessica's vehicle came to rest beneath the school bus. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Our prayers and sincerest condolences go to Jessica's family.
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The wreck happened about two miles east of the school. It has been reported that the school bus was stopped at the time of the crash. Troopers said Conner's car swerved around two stopped cars and she lost control and wound up underneath the bus.
It's not clear what caused her vehicle to go out of control. It is not clear at this point why the school bus was stopped in the right lane of the highway. It is also not clear whether the bus's flashing lights were working properly. No students on the bus were injured.
Fatalities involving children and school buses occur every year. Those cases usually involve a child exiting the school bus and then being struck by a driver who failed to see or ignored the bus's flashing lights. Texas law (Tex. Transp. Code s545.066) is very clear that a vehicle approaching a school bus from any direction must stop and remain stopped while the bus is loading or unloading passengers. It is time the Texas Legislature took additional steps to protect Texas children, by enacting legislation to enhance the visibility of stopped school buses with additional lighting. The installation of a piercing audio device, such as an air horn, for warnings to approaching vehicles would further enhance safety features.
