06.02.2008
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| Truck driver who hit school bus is cited but not charged
Truck driver who hit school bus is cited but not charged
6/2/08 Quote:
KENOSHA, Wis. — A truck driver who slammed into the back of a stopped school bus last month won't face criminal charges but he has been cited for the crash that injured 16, authorities said.
Mark Irek, 51, of Elkhorn told investigators he began choking after he sipped water, and that he closed his eyes as he coughed.
"When he finally began to catch his breath, he opened his eyes and realized he was gonna hit the bus," the Kenosha County sheriff's department said in its investigative report. Irek was ticketed for inattentive driving and for failing to stop for a school bus, sheriff's Lt. Paul Falduto said.
Beyond that, "the investigation determined there was no criminal negligence involved," Falduto said. "The case is closed. The tickets are issued." Any further action would have to come in civil court, he added.
Fourteen students between the ages of 5 and 13 were on the Wheatland Center School bus when it pulled over to drop off a student about 3:40 p.m. on May 23.
Three students suffered serious injuries, including Steven Duban, 13, who broke a hip in the crash but managed to help at least two others to safety.
Chas Miles, 6, suffered a concussion when he was thrown from the bus as he got off. Kelsi M. Boyle, 6, broke her collarbone.
The other kids had minor injuries, as did the bus driver, 57-year-old Timothy Howe of Burlington.
Irek suffered facial injuries that required surgery.
The bus was stopped with flashing red lights and its stop sign extended.
Emergency personnel arriving at the scene found children in the grassy areas of the roadside. The front end of the semi was smashed in, and the bus was pushed at an angle across part of the divided four-lane highway. Neither vehicle tipped over.
A small fire erupted after the accident but was quickly put out. Diesel fuel also spilled onto the roadway, causing a hazard, authorities said.
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