Bus accident raises concerns

Source: Valley Morning Star, Harlingen, TexasSept.mini storage 06--HARLINGEN -- The mother of a local student complained Thursday that the school district failed to notify parents of students riding a bus that was involved in an accident a day earlier.Police Sgt. John Parrish said an investigation has not determined whether the bus driver or the other motorist is at fault.No injuries were reported following the accident that occurred about 8 a.m. in the 2000 block of West Jefferson Avenue.But LeAnna Farias said her daughter Haley, 14, complained of back pain."I'm very upset. We leave our children in their hands," Farias, a medical assistant, said of school officials. "I expect (students) to get to school safely. When that doesn't happen, I'd appreciate a phone call."Police said Damien Vasquez, driving a 2005 Pontiac Grand Am, collided with the bus carrying seven students to the new Dr. Abraham P. Cano Freshman Academy."They're both saying the other's at fault," Parrish said of Vasquez and the bus driver.School district spokesman Shane Strubhart did not disclose the bus driver's name.Parrish said police found no witnesses to the accident."A lot of times when there's conflicting information and no third-party witnesses ... it's going to bself storage very difficult (to determine fault)," Parrish said.Parrish said police cited Vasquez, 22, for driving without a license and without insurance.School district Transportation Director Walter Raye said emergency medical technicians found students were not injured, Strubhart said in an email.Strubhart included Raye's report: "(The) bus driver was in the left lane of Fair Park and had just crossed the Expressway feeder when the white Pontiac Grand Am in the lane to (the) bus driver's right started pulling to the left into the lane (the) bus driver was in and hit the right front tire of our bus 131," Raye said in a statement. "It actually scraped the lug nuts on the wheel -- no damage whatsoever to our bus ...."School officials did not respond to questions about whether district policy required them to call parents when their children's buses are involved in accidents.Farias said Assistant Principal Michael Solis called her at about 3 p.m. Thursday to tell her that district policy requires the transportation department to call parents in these cases.Copyright: ___ (c)2013 Valley Morning Star (Harlingen, Texas) Visit Valley Morning Star (Harlingen, Texas) at .valleymorningstar.com Distributed by MCT Information Services迷你倉