7 Dead, At Least 15 Hurt In Florida School Bus Crash

[Bobbi]

Ok HERE IS THE REAL DEAL REGAURDLESS OF THE FACT THAT SHE DID NOT HAVE A DL THAT COULD ALLOW HER TO DRIVE BY HERSELF SHE DID NOT DO ANYTHING WRONG. IF SHE WAS AN ADULT WITH A REGULAR DL SHE STILL WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO MOVE OUT OF THE WAY! THERE WAS CHILDREN WHO WERE TAKEN FROM US BECAUSE OF WHY? CARELESSNESS ON THE PART OF AN ADULT OR A COMPANY WHO FUCKIN KNOWS BUT WE STILL DO NOT HAVE THEM THEY ARE GONE FOREVER AND WE GRIVE EVERYDAY THERE IS A MOTHER WHO GAVE ALL SHE HAD TO BE A MOTHER NOW SHE HAS NO IDEA WHO SHE IS. HE IDEANTITY WAS TAKEN FROM HER WHEN SHE KISSED HER TWO BEAUTIFUL GIRLS GOOD BYE AND NEVER SAW THEM AGAIN. SO THINK BEFORE YOU JUDGE WE ARE MISSING SO MUCH OF OUR LIVES BECAUSE OF THIS! SOMEONE IS RESPOSIBLE BUT REGARDLESS NO ONE CAN BRING THEM BACK SO PLEASE THINK BEFORE U POST! LOVE OUR BABIES FOREVER!!!!!

[vagabond]

If the van had not been there to cushion the impact, the school bus would have been hit directly, with others killed instead. Completely on the trucker. I drive truck, as well.

[MSO4]

Longhaul444 wrote:

jessica, MSO4, Danielle,
I know you are hurt by the tragedy, but let's not blame every truck driver in the country for one's stupidity. Now as a followup to my last post, after giving this more thought, society is to blame for what happens on out nations highways. Lets think about this, how many times have you seen someone driving down the road reading the paper, putting on makeup, talking on the phone, looking for something in the back seat, getting dressed, eating, etc....? The list goes on and on, and you call the police to report them and what do the dispatchers say? well sir, what law have they broken? What is so important that has to be done while your driving? Also I challenge everyone in drivers ed classes at the high school level to look through their handbooks and see how much information is in that book about trucks. I guarantee not very much, ask your instructor to talk about sharing the road with the big rigs and you'd be surprised what his response will be. And remember, Society put the people in office that wrote todays laws. Let us not forget that.

Take some personnel responsibility. It's not society thate made that fool drive under age. It's not society that made that moron trucker break the law by smashing into that car killing everyone. You sound like a typical liberal.

[Quiggler]

Aimee wrote:

<quoted text>
15 is not a responsible age to be a "Mother" for 6 other kids. This happened on a daily basis. If you have ever drived with 6 kids in a car, you know she was not old enough or experienced to be driving with that many kids. I don't blame the 15 year old, but the parents. And any loss on their part happened before the crash. If you don't care enough about the kids to be proper parents, then the kids were already dead to them. I feel sorry for the kids, not the parents.

I started baby-sitting when I was 12. I was baby-siting all night by the age of 13. This girl was the older sister, she was use to the kids and they probably were use to listening to her. I don't think she should have been driving ... however... all this aside... it has nothing to do with what happened.

[still hurting]

David Coulter wrote:

Responsible or not, a 15 yr old only has a learners permit. Not a full license. The truck driver must be hurting now too.

im sure the truck driver is hurting....but wether she was 14 and driving and had no learners permit nor license the crash still would have happens.....God did not plan this to happen to them because she was driving illegally!!!!

[I am a Driver]

Hurting wrote:

<quoted text>
Good, I hope he is hurting, because he will never know the pain that we are feeling.

Sorry for your pain, but the blame should go on the crete due to the constant pushing and threats against the driver. The driver was only trying to push the envelope so he could be with his family too. He made a very bad decision and is paying for it. I am positive that he is very sorry for the decision. There is nothing worse than losing a child and the pain must be horrible, but wishing suffering on this man is not going to help anyone. Most of the blame should be put on the company for pushing him so hard. That is where the true evil lies. Many of these trucking companies are the same and they are getting worse as the economy is becoming more grim. Please contact your state representive and ask them to change the laws that would help the truck driver remain safe without being in fear of losing his or her job.

[MSO4]

I am a Driver wrote:

<quoted text>
Sorry for your pain, but the blame should go on the crete due to the constant pushing and threats against the driver. The driver was only trying to push the envelope so he could be with his family too. He made a very bad decision and is paying for it. I am positive that he is very sorry for the decision. There is nothing worse than losing a child and the pain must be horrible, but wishing suffering on this man is not going to help anyone. Most of the blame should be put on the company for pushing him so hard. That is where the true evil lies. Many of these trucking companies are the same and they are getting worse as the economy is becoming more grim. Please contact your state representive and ask them to change the laws that would help the truck driver remain safe without being in fear of losing his or her job.

Stop the whining. Stand up and take responsibility for your own deeds and actions. That crash was 100% the drivers fault. I guess if the company told him to drive blindfolded he would do it. Gimme a break slick, and grow up.

[Brittany Evans]

i don't think that it is nikki mann's fault she was asked to pic up her family that day and that driver was not paying attention and should have noticed that she was stopped for a school bus. he broke the law by not stopping and getting enough sleeep when he was suppose to. i know the law my step father is a truck driver and you are suppose to get 10 hours of sleep. alot of families are hurting because of this tragic accident

[Mr Logic in Jax]

Brittany Evans wrote:

i don't think that it is nikki mann's fault she was asked to pic up her family that day and that driver was not paying attention and should have noticed that she was stopped for a school bus. he broke the law by not stopping and getting enough sleeep when he was suppose to. i know the law my step father is a truck driver and you are suppose to get 10 hours of sleep. alot of families are hurting because of this tragic accident

And 15 year olds are not allowed to drive without an adult, over 18 years old in the front passenger seat.

[Robert Jones]

my name is RObert Jones. I was a friend to one of the victims. His name was Jonny Mann. He was a really close friend. Please dont blame his family for this incident. Whether yall know this or not, his grandfather died because of a heart attack when he heard the news. So please lay off.

[MSO4]

Robert Jones wrote:

my name is RObert Jones. I was a friend to one of the victims. His name was Jonny Mann. He was a really close friend. Please dont blame his family for this incident. Whether yall know this or not, his grandfather died because of a heart attack when he heard the news. So please lay off.

Thanks for yor concern slick. Maybe gramps should have had his cholesterol checked, cause fright does not cause heart attacks, but being fat and smokeing does. Have a nice day.

[techyrmc]

When this accident happened, I worked at the prison hospital that was just up the road from the site. We sent our entire medical staff (Drs and Nurses) as first responders to the site, and let me tell you, I have NEVER seen a more traumitized group of healthcare workers in my life. Growing up my dad was a firefighter and he went to many a bad accident, and never had that look on his face. When they would finally open up about it later, all of them said, "we thought it was just a bus and a semi, until we saw the arm." The car was shoved so far under the bus they did not even know it was there, until they saw the arm of a child. As for the underage driving, I grew up in the next town over, and parents in both counties do tend to allow their kids to drive a few miles alone on a fairly regular basis, as we are quite rural, when they feel their child's driving ability is enought to pass their test, but it would not have mattered in this case. When you are stopped behind a bus, or even another car for that matter, how often do you think to look and see if the car behind you is stopping, and what could you have done anyhow? I am also a trucker's wife, my guy doesn't do it, but he knows there are drivers who run illegal, for you non-truckers that is driving more than 14hours in a 24 hour period, without a 10+ hour break, and/or more than 70 hours in a 8 day week. The math is difficult, but that is the basic gist, I can tell you many a times that my guy has had to call his company and get them to "repower" a load, which is to push back the delivery time, or give it to another driver as he is too tired, or broken down. Should the driver have seen the car? Yes, extenuating circumstances aside such as a bad glare. Was he driving faster than the posted speed limit? I don't know, I do know that most company owned trucks are governed at around 62-64MPH, to improve fuel effenciency. Would it have mad a difference if the car was drivenby someone 15, 16, 20, or 50, no it all happened too fast. Would it have mad a difference if the children were wearing a seatbelt, no the car was in flames. Would ditching the semi have saved those kids, maybe, but what about the kids that had just gotten off the bus would they have gotten hit instead? Is it totally the truck driver's fault, well I havent seen the accident report in it's entirety, and there are always things that are missed in memory. He will have to live with what happened if he did anything wrong, or if it was just a case of a good run of bad luck. Lastly I have a responce to MS04's comment about the grandfather's heart attack. You would have to be without a heart to be in your 70's and hear that you lost an ETIRE GENERATION in your family and not have at the very least a nervous breakdown, he died of what we in the medical field call broken heart syndrome, the trauma of the news caused a person who is almost completely healthy to just die from the stress. Rest in peace you darling children, and to those that have to deal with the injuries for the rest of your life, may Gods hand be on you and help you cope for always.

[LakeButler2004]

Still thinking about you, babies! Rest In Peace!

[concerned]

RENEE wrote:

<quoted text>I AGREE AMEN. THIS NEW DRUG CALLED ICE IS ALL OVER THE ROADS COMMONLY USED IN SEMI OPERATORS TO STAY UP FOR DAYS AND KEEPING ON TRUCKIN, THEY SHOUD HAVE TO TAKE A DRUG SCREENING ON EVERY TRIP.

what a dumb@@@. A drug screen every trip?? are you mental? OK, fine, il meet you at the doctors office and you pay the 50$ every trip for me. Get a life moron. Drivers have a medical and drug screen every 1 to 2 years mininum, and are subject to randoms at any time. If you know so much about the so-called "ice" problem with truckers...you must be the supplier. Lets arrest you and drug screen you NUMBNUT! shows how stupid you are in this time of grief. Blame someone, anyone without knowing the facts first. Typical non trucker thinking. Let the proper authorities do their job and come to a factual conclusion without your help moron.

[michael roberts]

i would like to say that i went to chruch with all seven of these kids and im at their age as they were back then and its still giving me a numb feeling through my body reading this all voer again and i just remember the guy dalton i went to school with tell bout wat happened when he was on that bus

[michael roberts]

i remember in church when we were going to have our cristmas play and nikki was singin. she could sing perfect and i was also singing in the mic that night with a friend of mien for the play. nikki ull be missed

[MomOf1Teen]

Mr Logic in Jax wrote:

<quoted text>
And 15 year olds are not allowed to drive without an adult, over 18 years old in the front passenger seat.

Drivers with learner's permits are not allowed to drive unless a licensed driver 21 or older occupies the front passenger seat.

[O- please]

why are you rehashing tragedy over and over again? we have to move on to make a change.

[O- please]

michael roberts wrote:

i remember in church when we were going to have our cristmas play and nikki was singin. she could sing perfect and i was also singing in the mic that night with a friend of mien for the play. nikki ull be missed

you cant even spell what are they teaching you kids that you cant spell?

[what is in a name]

O- please wrote:

<quoted text> you cant even spell what are they teaching you kids that you cant spell?

in defense of spelling, the poster used text spelling (ull = you'll) and the kids are taught to read using phonics - so they write the words as they sound and my personal opinion is this creates bad spellers and produces kids that don't know how to read because published books use correct spelling - however, i know highly successful people that are bad spellers