School bus driver faces consequences after narrowly missing train
HOUSTON -- A Texas school bus driver was fired after narrowly missing being hit by a train, CBS Houston affiliate KHOU-TV reports.
According to the school district in the suburban Houston city of Klein, the bus was taking Klein Oak High School students home on Feb. 10 when it became dangerously close to being hit by a train. The driver returned the bus to the school and reported that the students were too loud for the bus to be driven safely.
An investigation concluded that the driver didn't follow standard procedures when crossing the railroad tracks, and the driver was subsequently fired.
A YouTube video appears to show the incident. (Warning: The video contains explicit language.)
"You know what," said Todd Lux, the father of a Klein Oak freshman who was not on the bus. "I think that bus drivers need to wake up a little bit and do a little bit better job of making sure they follow the protocol at the railroad tracks."
Judy Rimato, a spokeswoman for the Klein Independent School District, told KHOU-TV the standard procedure for drivers is to stop at least 15 feet from the tracks, put the bus in neutral, set the service brake, open the door and look in both directions for oncoming trains before proceeding.
Rimato said the driver cleared the tracks just as the lights on the railroad crossing sign began to flash. But the driver then stopped at a stop sign. The YouTube video shows how close the rear of the bus was to the train.
"I think it actually sends a message to the other bus drivers to make sure that they're doing their job," Lux said.