Kent: NEWS 4 JAX
INVESTIGATES, WHAT CENTS A
SCHOOL BUS OFF I-95 AND
ST. JOHNS COUNTY HAND INTO A
TREE THREE WEEKS AGO.
FORMER HIGHWAY PATROL CITED THE
BUS DRIVER FOR CARELESS DRIVING
WITH ST. JOHNS COUNTY SCHOOL
DISTRICT INVESTIGATORS ARE STILL
TRYING TO DETERMINE THE EXACT
CAUSE OF THE WRECK.
JOY: WHILE IT'S UNKNOWN WHY
THE BUS DRIVER RAN OFF THE ROAD,
MANY PARENTS WE SPOKE WITH FEEL
THE SCHOOL BUS NEVER SHOULD HAVE
BEEN TRAVELING ON BUSY I-95.
CADEN HICKS WAS AMONG THE
STUDENTS ON BOARD THE BUS, BOTH
OF HIS LEGS WERE CRUSHED.
HE HAD HIS FIFTH SURGERY.
HIS MOTHER BROKE WITH US AT
WILSON CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL.
THERE'S SOME NIGHTS YOU LAY
THERE, AND YOU THINK ABOUT THE
ACCIDENT AND YOU GET MAD AND
LOOK OVER AT HIM AND SAY WHY DID
THIS HAVE TO HAPPEN AND OTHER
TIMES I LOOK AT HIM AND I'M SO
GLAD HE'S HERE AND WE SPEND
THANKSGIVING TOGETHER AND CAN DO
THOSE THINGS.
NOVEMBER 18th, IT'S THE DAY
BRANDY THOUGHT THE WORST WHEN
SHE HEARD HER SON'S SCHOOL BUS
WAS IN AN ACCIDENT.
IT RAN OFF I-95, CRASHING INTO A
TREE AND CRUSHING HIS LEG.
IT'S APPROXIMATELY 6 OR
8 INCHES SHORTER THAN IT SHOULD
BE.
THE CRASH HAPPENED OFF
INTERNATIONAL GULF PARKWAY ALONG
A NOTORIOUSLY DANGEROUS SECTION
OF I-95.
A RECENT NEWS 4 JAX
INVESTIGATION FOUND FROM
APRIL 2014 TO APRIL 2015,
FLORIDA'S PART OF THE INTERSTATE
HAD THE HIGHEST FATALITY RATE OF
ANY ROAD, ANYWHERE IN THE
COUNTRY.
WHAT'S WORST, A PART OF I-95
RUNNING THROUGH ST. JOHNS COUNTY
HAD THE MOST FATAL CRASHES IN
THE REGION.
FORTUNATELY, NO ONE WAS KILLED
IN THE BUS ACCIDENTS THAT
CRUSHED CADEN'S LEGS LAST
MONTHS. THE CAUSE OF THE CRASH
IS STILL UNDER INVESTIGATION BY
THE SCHOOL DISTRICT WHICH SAYS
THE BUS DRIVER HAS BEEN
SUSPENDED WITH PAY.
AND THE WEEK FOLLOWING THE
INCIDENT, THE BUS ROUTE WAS
CHANGED FROM TRAVELING ON I-95
TO USING US-1.
I KNOW KIDS SHOULDN'T HAVE TO
TAKE THE INTERSTATE ON A DAILY
BASIS, SO I'M GLAD IT'S CHANGED
NOW.
SAMANTHA'S DAUGHTER WAS ON
BOARD THAT BUS, NO MATTER WHAT
CAUSED THE ACCIDENT, McNEAL IS
AMONG MANY PARENTS THANKFUL THE
BUS ROUTE HAS BEEN CHANGED.
I TOLD THE SCHOOL BOARD, I
SAID I'M NOT COMFORTABLE WITH MY
SON RIDING ON A BUS EVERY DAY ON
95.
CHRISTINA GOT A WAVE FOR HER
SON TWO YEARS IN A ROW TO ATTEND
A CLOSER SCHOOL.
SHE DID NOT GET A WAIVER THIS
SCHOOL YEAR SO HER SON CHRISTIAN
COULD GO TO SCHOOL WITH FRIENDS.
HER SON CHRISTIAN WAS ON CADEN'S
BUS, AMONG THE STUDENTS HURT IN
LAST MONTH'S ACCIDENT.
AND THEN THIS HAPPENED AND IT
BROUGHT EVERYTHING TO LIGHT WITH
THOSE FEELINGS THAT I HAD
PREVIOUSLY.
IT'S KIND OF BITTERSWEET.
IT'S LIKE IT'S UNFORTUNATE, THAT
SOMETHING LIKE THIS HAD TO FOR
IT TO CHANGE.
I CAN'T ATTRIBUTE THAT
ACCIDENT TO THAT INTERSTATE.
I HONESTLY CAN'T.
AL, ST. JOHN'S COUNTY
SCHOOL'S DIRECTOR OF
TRANSPORTATION, SAYS BECAUSE
IT'S NOT KNOWN WHAT OR WHO IS TO
BLAME FOR THE CRASH, THE
ACCIDENT ITSELF WAS NOT THE ONLY
FACTOR CONSIDERED WHEN CHANGING
THE BUS ROUTE.
IN THIS CASE, WE DID WHAT I
THINK WAS APPROPRIATE, GIVEN THE
SERIOUSNESS OF WHAT HAPPENED,
AND THE CONCERN OF THE CHILDREN,
THE SCHOOL, US, THE OPERATOR,
EVERYBODY IS AFFECTED BY THIS,
AND THE PARENTS.
AND DECIDED, OK, WE THINK THE
RIGHT THING TO DO IN THIS CASE
IS TO MAKE THIS ADJUSTMENTS, FOR
THOSE REASONS.
THE IMPACT OF THE ACCIDENT
HAS LEFT A LASTING MARK ON SIXTH
GRADER LEILA, WHO IS ON THE NEW
BUS ROUTE TO SCHOOL.
WHEN WE GO OVER BUMPS, I JUST
LIKE LOOK AT MY PHONE AND NOT
LOOK OUT THE WINDOW.
The Reporter: AN EIGHTH
GRADER SAYS THE BUS RIDES TO
SCHOOL NOW ARE A WHOLE LOT
DIFFERENT.
EVERYBODY HAS THEIR SEAT
BELTS ON NOW, THEY'RE HOLDING ON
TO THE SEATS, THEY'RE BEING MORE
CAUTIOUS AND AWARE.
The Reporter: THOSE STUDENTS
FEEL SAFER AND PARENTS FEEL
RELIEVED.
EVEN WITH THEIR BUS ROUTE NOW
MOVED TO US-1, HE SAYS THERE ARE
STILL NO GUARANTEES.
I CAN'T SAY THAT THE ACCIDENT
ITSELF DRIVES US TO REVIEW WHAT
WE DO.
I MEAN, I COULD HAVE -- LET ME
PUT IT THIS OTHER WAY, THE BUS
COULD HAVE BEEN ON US-1, AND AN
EQUALLY OR EVEN MORE TRAGIC
ACCIDENT COULD HAVE OCCURRED AND
I THINK THE QUESTION FROM THE
PARENTS WOULD HAVE BEEN SOME
PARENTS MAY HAVE BEEN WHY WAS
THAT BUS ON US-1, SO I CAN'T SIT
HERE WITH CERTAINTY AND TELL YOU
THAT ANYONE IS ANY SAFER NOW
THAN THEN BEFORE.
SAFE OR NOT.
YOU REALLY WENT ALL OUT FOR
HIM WITH THESE CARDS.
THEY'RE BEAUTIFUL.
THEY REALLY DID, LIKE REALLY
APPRECIATE.
THE MOVE IS ONE LESS WORRY
FOR CADEN'S MOM, WHO ALSO HAS A
10-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER ON ANOTHER
AREA SCHOOL BUS, THAT ALSO NOW
TRAVELS ON US-1.
KNOWING THAT NOW MY DAUGHTER
CAN GET TO SCHOOL AND I DON'T
HAVE TO THINK ABOUT HER BEING ON
THE INTERSTATE AS WELL, I THINK
MAKES A BIG DIFFERENCE.
The Reporter: ANOTHER PERSON
MAKING A BIG DIFFERENCE IS THE
GOOD SAMARITAN WHO STOPPED,
STAYED WITH, AND COMFORTED CADEN
RIGHT AFTER THE ACCIDENT
HAPPENED.
UNTIL RESCUERS COULD REACH HIM.