A pickup truck rear-ended a Farmersville ISD school bus on Wednesday afternoon, resulting in 10 students being hospitalized in Collin County.
Spokesman Sgt. Kyle Bradford of the Texas Department of Public Safety stated that the incident occurred at Farm-to-Market Road 2194 at County Road 1661 at around 4:24 p.m.
The school bus was transporting 48 children at the time of the accident and was stopping to drop off a student when the Ford F-150 crashed into it.
There were no life-threatening injuries, according to Bradford, but 10 students along with the driver of the pickup were taken to the hospital.
The crash is still under investigation, but the driver will be ticketed, according to Bradford.
Disobeying the laws regarding Texas buses can result in harming others or yourself as well as hefty fines. Disobeying Texas bus laws can cost offenders up to $1,250.
Here are some reminders of the laws, as students return to school following Christmas break.
- In Texas, drivers always have to stop when a school bus extends its stop sign or when its red lights are flashing.
- This law does not only apply to drivers behind the school bus, but to all drivers in all lanes, including traffic going the opposite direction, unless the school bus is traveling on a two-way divided highway.
- If there is a median, only the traffic going in the same direction as the school bus has to stop.
- If there is two-way traffic, as well as a center turn lane, all traffic must stop, including those turning and those going in the opposite direction of the school bus.
- Drivers are not allowed to pass the school bus until it starts moving again, its lights turn off, or the bus driver signals cars to do so.
The fines for breaking these laws are steep, and you cannot get a school bus law violation waived by taking a defensive driving class.
