While the outcomes of two separate pedestrian accidents at school bus stops this week were different, the circumstances and setting bore certain similarities. Both teens were hit by motorists who illegally passed their stopped school buses, and both accidents occurred in the dark pre-dawn hours.
Yesterday in Bensalem, Pennsylvania Minete Zeka, 16, was attempting to board her school bus at 6:40 a.m. when the driver of an SUV ran a signal and flew past the bus, which had its flashing lights on and stop arm extended, according to police.
“When the SUV was driving westbound … the (driver) disregarded the school bus, which had its lights activated and stop sign, and proceeded through the intersection, striking and dragging the child for some distance,” Bensalem Public Safety Director Fred Harran said during a press conference.
Police also noted that one child had made it across the street to the bus, while there were three other students behind the victim when she was struck. The high school sophomore was rushed to Aria Health Torresdale Hospital, where she was later pronounced dead.
The driver of the SUV is also a teenager. The 18-year-old male stopped at the scene and cooperated with police. Investigators said no charges have been filed yet, as the investigation is ongoing.
“He decided not to stop for that light and for the arm; whether he didn’t see it or he blatantly disregarded it, I don’t know,” continued Harran.
On Monday, a motorist in Methuen, Massachusetts decided not to stop after he ran over a 15-year-old boy who was in a crosswalk heading to his school bus, then drove off. Joe Barry was flown to a Boston hospital with serious head and leg injuries, but he is now listed in stable condition.
The bus was stopped at the intersection of Lowell and East Capitol streets with its red lights flashing and its stop sign with lights also activated when the crash occurred at 6:30 a.m., according to police.
Within hours Robert Jacques of Lowell, 28, was arrested in Boston and charged with negligent operation, operating with a suspended license, failing to stop for a school bus with its flashers on and leaving the scene of a personal injury accident. Yesterday Jacques entered a not guilty plea in court. He is being held on $50,000 bail.
Police were able to use surveillance video from the scene to track the vehicle to a nearby parking lot where footage appears to show Jacques park the truck and then leave.
“He related to us through the interview that he panicked. He has a suspended license so he panicked and then fled the scene,” said Methuen Police Capt. Randy Haggar.
The boy’s grandmother, Meg Morse-Barry, said his sister Kyra, 14, ran to her older brother after he was struck and then rushed home for help. Kyra Barry told police she began to cross the street behind her brother but then noticed the truck coming and stepped back, out of its path.
“She stated the vehicle struck Joseph who was on [the] crosswalk, dragging him half the distance of the school bus,” the police report noted.
According to STN’s independent research on 2013-2014 student fatalities, based on national wire reports, 11 students were fatally struck near their bus stops, including 10 while crossing the road. Nine of these incidents occurred in the dark hours before sunrise.
Check out our January Special Report for analysis and current statistics from NHTSA and the Kansas Department of Education
