Say What Now? DC School Bus Driver Charged with DUI After Veering Off Road on Field Trip, Injuring 9 Students

A bus driver in Washington, D.C. has been arrested for allegedly driving while intoxicated after getting into a traffic incident that injured 9 children.

via People:

Troy Reynolds, 48, of Maryland was driving back to Murch Elementary School from a field trip to Cox Farms in Centreville, Va. with a bus full of 44 children and four adults when he veered off the road into a ditch, according to a news release from Fairfax County Police Department.

The bus then struck a rock, causing the rear tire to flatten and the rim to bend. Reynolds continued to drive until adults on the bus urged him to stop in a parking lot with another bus from the same school, police said.

Officers from the Sully District Station and Fairfax County Fire and Rescue responded to the scene, where nine children were treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

Reynolds failed a field sobriety test and was taken to the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center, where he was found to allegedly have a blood alcohol content (BAC) of .20, more than twice Virginia’s legal limit of .08.

He was held with no bond and charged Thursday with a second-degree DWI with a child aged 5-10, commercial DWI with child endangerment and nine counts of gross, wanton or reckless care for a child, according to authorities.

Reynolds’ license was allegedly found to be revoked in Virginia from a prior DWI and suspended in Maryland, in addition to being allegedly found with a fraudulent medical card.

FCPD’s Motor Carrier Safety (MCS) unit also responded to the scene and found that neither of the drivers was properly licensed to operate a school bus. MCS also documented a total of 18 safety violations on the two buses, and a third bus that responded to replace the damaged bus was also taken out of service for safety violations.

DC Public Schools Chancellor Lewis Ferebee shared a statement Thursday on Twitter: “We thank the Murch Elementary teachers and staff who ensured the students’ safety on their field trip today. All children were evaluated by emergency medical services following the incident and there are no injuries reported.

“We appreciate the support of Fairfax County law enforcement, who welcomed students at a nearby training facility as they awaited transportation back to the school. DCPS takes this incident very seriously, and our teams will do a thorough review of our transportation vendors to ensure that student safety is always prioritized. We are incredibly thankful that no one sustained injuries during this frightening incident,” Ferebee added.

Now, as a bus driver he should’ve known better than to be drinking on the job. We’re glad none of those kids got seriously hurt.

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