A Vilonia School District student was hit by a vehicle while attempting to board their school bus.
The school district located about 30 miles north of Little Rock, Arkansas, released a statement confirming that one of their students had been hit Monday morning by a vehicle that did not yield to the red lights and activated stop arm on the school bus. The student, whose identity was not released, was taken to the hospital via ambulance. The extent of their injuries was not disclosed at the time of the writing.
No other injuries were reported at the time of the incident. The rest of the students that were on board the bus were transported safely to school.
The Faulkner County Sherrif’s Office identified the illegally passing motorist as 35-year-old Christopher Severns from Enola, Arkansas.
The Sherrif’s office said in a news release that Severns was arrested after deputies were dispatched to Sunny Gap Road in response to the vehicle striking a pedestrian child just before 7:15 a.m.
Arkansas law states that the fine for passing a stopped school bus is between $250 and $1,000, up to 90 days in county jail, or both.
Officers say Severns was placed under arrest at the scene and transported to the Faulkner County Detention Center, where he was later released on a court ordered bond, pending additional court appearances on charges of passing a stopped school bus. Additional charges are pending investigation.
An investigation is ongoing.
Editor’s note: STN updated this article to clarify that it was not an Extended Stop-arm used, but instead that the stop-arm was activated. STN regrets this error.
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Related: Illegal Passings of Stopped School Buses at ‘Epidemic Level’
Related: Former Indiana School Bus Driver Charged After Passing Stopped Bus
