Overview
- Another Duval school bus, carrying John E. Ford first and second graders, was in a minor crash Wednesday near a railroad crossing as it left the Jacksonville Zoo, with one adult and eight students taken for evaluation and no life‑threatening injuries reported.
- The prior crash on Thursday involved about 30 San Pablo Elementary kindergarteners when a semi‑truck hit their bus at a Zoo Parkway crossing, injuring four children while a fifth person was also transported.
- Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office records show the 37‑year‑old semi driver in the Thursday crash received a careless‑driving citation and a $164 fine after telling police his brakes did not work as he tried to stop behind the bus.
- Attorneys for injured families said they plan to inspect the truck and review maintenance logs as News4JAX reported five other crashes tied to the trucking company over two years and 74 inspections across its fleet.
- Citing 37 crashes near the zoo in the past six months, Councilman Mike Gay and FDOT plan to analyze the area and consider added warnings at crossings because buses must stop at tracks by law and following drivers should be prepared to stop.