Driver Airlifted After Hitting School Bus
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The driver of a 2004 GMC Yukon was airlifted to Memorial Health University Medical Center in Savannah after rear-ending a Toombs County School Bus on Wednesday, February 14.
According to the Georgia State Patrol’s investigation, James Daniel Brown, 36, of Hazlehurst, was traveling eastbound behind a Toombs County School bus, driven by Lance Sikes, 61, of Lyons, along GA HWY 56. The bus put on its red flashing light and deployed its stop sign as it stopped to let off several students at a residence near the intersection of the highway and JE Lillard Road.
The investigation report also shared that a witness told law enforcement that she noticed he was looking downward within his car at the time of the crash. With this information, along with an investigation of the scene, the Georgia State Patrol concluded that Brown was following too closely and driving while distracted.
Sikes nor the students he was transporting were harmed, but Brown suffered serious injuries and was airlifted to Memorial Health University Medical Center in Savannah.
A student riding on the bus also shared his account of the incident. The student said that they believed the driver was going 65 mph in the 55 mph zone, and hit the bus without ever pressing the brakes. “It hit really hard, and sent my phone flying two rows up,” the student said. “There was glass everywhere – a lot of kids had glass in their hair.”
The crash did not damage the bus completely, but did cause the back bumper and back windshields to break. When the incident occurred, the Toombs County School System jumped into action, as Toombs Central Elementary School Principal Destiny Levant worked to coordinate a sign-out system so that parents could pick up their children from the accident scene.
“As educators, we plan and practice emergency protocols and procedures for events like this in hopes that they never happen. Our instinct is always to ensure the safety of our students, first, then follow logical steps to keep everyone calm and establish order,” Levant shared. “This is just what happened. As emergency personnel did their jobs, my role was to soothe students and maintain a record of their account as parents arrived. I am grateful for the collective and quick efforts of our local emergency personnel, the bus driver, Mr. Sikes, and other TCES staff at the scene and back at the school that assisted.”
Toombs County Schools Superintendent Barry Waller also commented on the instance. “Your heart sinks anytime you get that call regarding one of our buses with students on board being involved in an accident,” he emphasized. ‘Thankfully there were no serious injuries involved with our students or driver. We appreciate our transportation department as well as TCES Principal, Ms. Destiny Levant, for the quick response to the scene to ensure the safety of our students was maintained.”
