Overview
- The driver, identified as Yvonne Hampton, was charged Monday with 29 felony counts of child neglect and reckless driving and was fired by the Sumter County school district.
- The April 2 near-miss happened at East Central Avenue and North Market Street in Bushnell, where a train clipped the rear of Bus 2517 carrying 29 students and a bus aide with no reported injuries.
- Deputies say interior bus video shows the driver moving onto the tracks after warning lights activated and the arms began to lower as a student shouted that a train was coming.
- Superintendent Logan Brown said the crossing lacks red lights and leaves little room for a bus beyond the tracks, and the district will remove it from future routes and review added safety steps.
- Hampton is held on $1,500 bond as the sheriff’s office and the district continue their investigations, and officials stressed that all students and staff were physically unharmed.