Some people never learn from their mistakes, and the innocent suffer. The bus driver who sparked a national debate on motorists using cellphones after a 1999 accident which killed a 2-year-old girl has been involved in another fatal crash.
On Wednesday Frederick Poust III, 38, of Schwenksville, Pa., was driving a school bus in Montgomery County about 30 miles from Philadelphia when he hit a Honda Civic. Poust allegedly turned in front of the Civic, killing passenger Richard Taylor, 27, of Gilbertsville, Pa., and hospitalizing its driver, Freddy Carroll, 41, of Perkiomenville, Pa.
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/local/84762257.html
Five students on the bus suffered minor injuries. Police are still investigating Wednesday’s crash, and that probe will determine if criminal charges are filed against Poust.
Poust was thrust into the national media spotlight in 1999 when he ran a stop sign, while calling his girlfriend on his cellphone, and hit another vehicle in Hilltown Township, Pa. The young girl Morgan Lee Pena was killed in the accident.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sns-ap-us-school-bus-crash-fatal,0,6176842.story
Morgan’s family became advocates for laws barring the use of cellphones while driving, sparking a debate over the issue. The family was even on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” to lobby for their cause.
The family also sued Poust and his employer, Delaware Valley College, and a confidential settlement was reached. The Pena family reportedly received more than $200,000.
Poust’s current employer is Student Transportation of America, based in Wall Township, N.J. The company said it knew he had an accident in 1999, but that criminal and vehicle records had not provided any details on the incident.
Back in 1999 Poust was also sued by a man whose car he hit in the rear, totaling it. That case was settled.
The claim against the bus company is called “negligent entrustment.” Before you hire someone and allow them to drive a vehicle controlled by you, you have a duty to learn the kind of things a google search would have learned about Poust. That you would not do even that minimum when the safety of children is a stake, is outrageous.
Deadly Consequences of Mixing Cell Phones and Vehicle Operation
Just yesterday I was driving down a busy main street when a young girl pulled across traffic in front of me, narrowly missing a car in the oncoming traffic, all the while chatting animatedly on her cell phone. Its not the first close encounter I have had, not that long ago I was rear ended by an uninsured driver who openly admitted she wasn’t paying attention because she was on the phone. We’ve all had these close encounters in the past few years and the public’s awareness of the danger of driving while talking on a cell phone is not the issue, its the awareness of just how deadly the consequences can be. There have been some very tragic consequences in the headlines recently.
On Tuesday a Florida Highway Patrol report confirmed that truck driver, Reinaldo Gonzalez of Orlanda, had been on his cell phone when he slammed into a school bus which was stopped to let off children. A stop sign and flashing lights were not enough to alert a distracted driver. A 13 year old child was killed and several injured as a result. The driver of the truck leapt to safety before the two vehicles burst into flame. The occupants of the school bus weren’t so fortunate.
http://www.ocala.com/article/20080924/NEWS/809241998/1001/News01?Title=FHP__Truck_driver_in_deadly_bus_crash_was_on_his_cell
This tragic accident comes on the heels of a deadly train crash in California that killed 25 people. It is suspected that texting played a role in the crash. Two teenage train buffs disclosed that they had received a text message from the engineer just a moment before the crash. No phone was found at the scene.
Whether its texting or talking, government studies confirm that distracted drivers account for nearly 8 out of 10 collisions or near-crashes. “A researcher who worked on the 2006 study, Charlie Klauer of the Virginia Tech Traffic Institute, says the crash risk was doubled when a driver looked away from the road for two seconds out of six.”
http://planes-trains-buses.blogspot.com/2008/09/train-crash-probe-renews-focus-on.html
Much of the focus of studies has been on young drivers. What makes these stories newsworthy is that in both cases adults were in control of vehicles capable of deadly destruction. This escalates the problem significantly. There is a big difference between a moment of distraction in a car and a moment of distraction in a train engine or a tractor trailer. The ability to react quickly is greatly reduced. As such, both drivers in these instances had a greater obligation to be diligent in the operation of these vehicles and should be under stricter guidelines for the operation of their vehicles.
On Tuesday a Florida Highway Patrol report confirmed that truck driver, Reinaldo Gonzalez of Orlanda, had been on his cell phone when he slammed into a school bus which was stopped to let off children. A stop sign and flashing lights were not enough to alert a distracted driver. A 13 year old child was killed and several injured as a result. The driver of the truck leapt to safety before the two vehicles burst into flame. The occupants of the school bus weren’t so fortunate.
http://www.ocala.com/article/20080924/NEWS/809241998/1001/News01?Title=FHP__Truck_driver_in_deadly_bus_crash_was_on_his_cell
This tragic accident comes on the heels of a deadly train crash in California that killed 25 people. It is suspected that texting played a role in the crash. Two teenage train buffs disclosed that they had received a text message from the engineer just a moment before the crash. No phone was found at the scene.
Whether its texting or talking, government studies confirm that distracted drivers account for nearly 8 out of 10 collisions or near-crashes. “A researcher who worked on the 2006 study, Charlie Klauer of the Virginia Tech Traffic Institute, says the crash risk was doubled when a driver looked away from the road for two seconds out of six.”
http://planes-trains-buses.blogspot.com/2008/09/train-crash-probe-renews-focus-on.html
Much of the focus of studies has been on young drivers. What makes these stories newsworthy is that in both cases adults were in control of vehicles capable of deadly destruction. This escalates the problem significantly. There is a big difference between a moment of distraction in a car and a moment of distraction in a train engine or a tractor trailer. The ability to react quickly is greatly reduced. As such, both drivers in these instances had a greater obligation to be diligent in the operation of these vehicles and should be under stricter guidelines for the operation of their vehicles.
