Minivan Driver Charged in School Bus Crash

Raleigh, N.C. — Police charged the driver of a minivan involved with a school bus in a wreck that sent 14 middle-school students and the bus driver to the hospital Friday.

The bus was heading to Durant Road Middle School when the crashed happened at the intersection of Old Wake Forest Road and Oak Forest Road at 7 a.m.

Some students complained of soreness, but none of their injuries was considered life-threatening, school officials said. They were sent to the hospital as a precaution.

Lorine Harris, 57, of Wake Forest, told police she drove her 2007 Chrysler minivan through a green light on Old Wake Forest Road. The driver of the school bus said she also had a green light to turn left onto Old Wake Forest Road from Oak Forest Road.

Witnesses told police that the school bus had a green light and that Harris ran a red light. Police charged Harris with a red-light violation.

The impact of the collision propelled the minivan 100 feet and off the left side of Old Wake Forest Road.

The accident report indicates that Harris was originally traveling at 45 mph and slowed to 30 mph at the point of collision. The bus driver was traveling at 15 mph and slowed to 5 mph.

The speed limit in that area is 45 mph.

Harris refused medical treatment and was OK, officials said.

Thirty-one students were on the bus. Those who were uninjured were taken to school on another bus.

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Latest Comments

Yep, all good points. Maybe I'm fooling myself but I really don't feel distracted at all while on my phone. Good discussion, I'm signing off... Have a great weekend everybody!

fl2nc2ca2md2nc
February 22, 2008 6:29 p.m.

"HarrisonB...I still think you can force yourself to focus on driving above most activities while driving if you try."

Good luck with that. ;-)

"If cell phones are shown to be a distraction based solely on the basis of not being able to see the other person, as the study claimed, than wouldn't talking to someone in the back seat or even the seat next to you while watching the road, be just as distracting?"-fl2nc2ca2md2nc

I don't recall if that was part of the study. However, personally, I believe there are some issues here to consider. First, one occasionally looks at the person while seated next to them or behind them in the rear view mirror. Second, peripheral vision allows you to collect some of the body language data. Finally, a passenger is a second set of eyes that is also looking in front of you.

Harrison Bergeron
February 22, 2008 6:14 p.m.

HarrisonB, not sure if you are still on here but I just saw your answer to my comments on cell phones and driving.

I'm not sure I would agree but that study you referenced is compelling... I still think you can force yourself to focus on driving above most activities while driving if you try.

The problem is that we, as a society, like to selectively ban activities and/or freedoms based on the collective whims of society.

If cell phones are shown to be a distraction based solely on the basis of not being able to see the other person, as the study claimed, than wouldn't talking to someone in the back seat or even the seat next to you while watching the road, be just as distracting? If so, are we to ban conversation in moving vehicles?

And again, we already have laws against distracted driving. These should be adequate, we don't need to further erode our freedoms as both parties seem to be doing more and more of.

fl2nc2ca2md2nc
February 22, 2008 5:51 p.m.

"send the little beggars home and if by chance they have a closed head injury or a soft belly then we are better off removing these whiners from the gene pool....." as per seankelly15

A comment like that can only come from someone who has not and will not contribute to the genepool himself.

foxyladync
February 22, 2008 5:12 p.m.

Notorious THC, how far do you think 10 yards is?