2006 Huntsville bus crash

School bus crash in Huntsville, Alabama, United States October 2026 December 2017 Huntsville bus crash November 20, 2006 Huntsville, Alabama United States School bus Laidlaw Transit Laidlaw Transit Fall from bridge School Bus Toyota Celica 41(1 in Celica) 4 33 5 people were uninjured, 3 on the school bus, and 2 in the Celica. The Huntsville bus crash involved a school bus carrying 40 students from Lee High School and a car, both heading to the Huntsville Center for Technology, which occurred on November 20, 2006, on an elevated portion of Interstate 565 in Huntsville, Alabama. Incident On November 20, 2006, around 10 a.m., an International school bus carrying 40 students from Lee High School to the Huntsville Center for Technology was traveling in the left lane on the elevated two-lane I-565. A 1990 Toyota Celica driven by another Lee High student merged from the left lane to the right and accelerated to pass the bus, but his vehicle began to fishtail and became impossible to control.National Transportation Safety Board November 19, 2009 Highway Accident Brief https://docs.google.com/viewerng/viewer?url=http://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/accidentreports/reports/hab0902.pdf live https://web.archive.org/web/20210725140202/https://docs.google.com/viewerng/viewer?url=http://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/accidentreports/reports/hab0902.pdf July 25, 2021 December 28, 2020 National Transportation Safety Board A student on the bus stated that he saw the car attempted to overtake the bus and lose control, but closed his eyes and grabbed his seat after the collision.Hunter Desiree December 8, 2006 Lee High School students recall fatal bus ride to tech: Teens talk about feelings, events leading up to wreck http://archive.decaturdaily.com/decaturdaily/news/061208/crash.shtml live https://web.archive.org/web/20210226002113/http://archive.decaturdaily.com/decaturdaily/news/061208/crash.shtml February 26, 2021 2020-12-28 archive.decaturdaily.com Police said that the bus went over the side of the road after a car driven by another Lee High student tried to swerve around the bus, causing the bus driver to swerve going over the edge of the elevated roadway.http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7005595285 Bus Accident Update: Fourth Student Dies https://web.archive.org/web/20070216190503/http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7005595285 February 16, 2007 dead 2006-12-21 mdy-allDecember 2017 The driver was ejected from the bus before it went over the side of the bridge, as he was not wearing a seat belt.https://whnt.com/2016/11/18/remembering-the-lee-high-school-bus-crash/ Remembering the Lee High School Bus Crash Cantrell Aaron 2016-11-19 WHNT.com en 2019-07-07 The bus hit the 32-inch-high cement bridge rail and rode the top of the rail for 117 feet before it plunged over the side.https://www.al.com/news/huntsville/2016/11/finding_life_after_death_10_ye.html Finding life after death 10 years after school bus crash killed four Dunigan Jonece Starr 2016-11-20 al.com en-US 2019-07-07 The NTSB report for the crash stated that the bus had nose-dived into the ground before coming to a stop.Paker Dallas 2019-11-21 First responders and survivor remember Lee High School bus crash https://whnt.com/news/huntsville/first-responders-and-survivor-remember-lee-high-school-bus-crash/ 2020-12-28 WHNT.com en-US In later interviews students said that many grabbed for other students to help them brace and keep them from falling forward to varying degrees of success. A student recounted that some students were able to evacuate the bus on their own via the emergency door in the back and ceiling of the vehicle. Some students also reportedly tried to enter back into the bus to help students pinned between the seats. Four students were killed and 33 were injured after the bus plunged almost 40 ft m. Of the four, all were female students who ranged in age from 16 to 19 years old. Investigation The initial investigation indicated that the secondary car that had attempted to overtake the bus had veered into the bus's lane, causing it to scrape along the concrete barrier. The teenage driver of the second car claimed that a part of the vehicle had malfunctioned and caused the car to drift into the other lane.Dornin Rusty November 21, 2006 Fourth teen dies in Alabama school bus crash https://www.cnn.com/2006/US/11/21/bus.crash/index.html live https://web.archive.org/web/20061121194639/http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/11/21/bus.crash/index.html November 21, 2006 2020-12-28 CNN Investigators raised potential theories that the car might have had a malfunction in the steering system. A criminal investigation into the crash was closed without charges after toxicology reports for both the bus and car drivers were found to be negative for controlled substances or alcohol.((Staff Reports)) 2008-11-27 Suits in fatal 2006 Huntsville school bus crash settled https://www.clantonadvertiser.com/2008/11/27/suits-in-fatal-2006-huntsville-school-bus-crash-settled/ live https://web.archive.org/web/20210516192806/https://www.clantonadvertiser.com/2008/11/27/suits-in-fatal-2006-huntsville-school-bus-crash-settled/ May 16, 2021 2020-12-28 The Clanton Advertiser An investigation into the crash was opened by the NTSB and later closed after three years of study. The investigation concluded that the driver had lost control of the vehicle during a "passing manevour" around a curve, during the same time that the driver of a Toyota Celica attempted to overtake the bus prior to an upcoming exit.August 12, 2016 10 Years Later: Lee High School bus crash https://www.waff.com/story/33737791/10-years-later-lee-high-school-bus-crash live https://web.archive.org/web/20161119120137/http://www.waff.com/story/33737791/10-years-later-lee-high-school-bus-crash November 19, 2016 2020-12-28 WAFF48 en-US Legal fallout The families of the four teenagers killed in the crash filed lawsuits shortly after the incident. The suits named Laidlaw Transit, Anthony Scott, the school bus driver and the driver of the Toyota Celica as defendants, and each suit was settled in 2008.Gentle Elizabeth November 26, 2008 Four death suits settled in Lee High Bus Crash https://www.waff.com/story/9421238/four-death-suits-settled-in-lee-high-bus-crash 2020-12-28 WAFF48 en-US Additional lawsuits were filed by families of about two dozen students who were injured and settled after the first four suits. Aftermath The crash was extensively covered by CNN and USA Today.http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/11/20/bus.crash/index.html At least 3 students killed in school bus crash CNN November 2, 2016December 2017https://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-11-20-ala-bus_x.htm?csp=34 3 students killed in school bus crash in Alabama USA Today November 2, 2016December 2017 A photograph of James "Rusty" Edward Moore Jr. sitting next to his girlfriend who was covered by a blanket went viral, as many thought Moore Jr was sitting next to a dead body. The girlfriend, however, was just resting and cold. The crash reignited debate over the installation of seat belts in buses, and whether Alabama should follow the lead of states such as Florida in legislating compulsory lap belts.http://whnt.com/2012/08/31/story-of-strength-meet-maddie-jamieson/ Story of Strength: Meet Maddie Jamieson September 1, 2012 WHNT-TV November 2, 2016December 2017 Following the crash Alabama Governor Bob Riley ordered a report be made into the issue. A study group consisting of education and transport officials interviewed 17 expert witnesses, and in early 2007 released recommendations that a pilot program be run with lap and shoulder belts being installed in a limited number of new buses from 2008. http://www.al.com/huntsvilletimes/documents/seatbelts.pdf Recommendations from the Governor's Study Group on School Bus Seat Belts July 13, 2007 https://web.archive.org/web/20070930031505/http://www.al.com/huntsvilletimes/documents/seatbelts.pdf September 30, 2007 dead mdy-all December 2017 A similar crash occurred on November 21, 2016, in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where a school bus driver lost control of a bus causing it to roll over on its side and crash into a tree, killing six students and injuring 23. References External links NTSB Highway Accident Brief HWY-07-MH-007: School Bus Bridge Override Following Collision With Passenger Vehicle, Huntsville, Alabama, November 20, 2006 34.73715 N 86.59298 W title type:event Huntsville bus crash Huntsville bus crash Huntsville bus crash Category:Madison County, Alabama Category:Transportation disasters in Alabama Category:History of Huntsville, Alabama Huntsville, Alabama bus crash