Description of collisions: A southbound Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad Co. struck a school bus operated by Hobson Schools at a crossing marked only with buck signs. There were no warning lights or signs in the area. There were six passengers on board the bus at the time of the accident. A railway spokesman said the train blew its whistle and went into an emergency stop before striking the bus. According to the NTSB report of the collision, "a freight train traveling 45 mph struck a school bus between bus' rear axle and left rear bumper. The impact caused the bus to rotate 180 degrees counterclockwise, and the bus body to separate from its chassis." The two fatalities occured to students sitting in the rear of the bus at the point of intrusion and impact.
In March 1999, less than a year after this collision occurred, attorneys reached an out-of-court settlement. Neither party would disclose the amounts awarded but one attorney said it was the "largest settlement for the wrongful death of a minor in Montana ever, by a bunch."
(See “Freight Train Collisions with School Buses Kill Two, Injures 24,” School Transportation News, April 1998, p. 15., and "'Largest Ever' Settlement Agreed to in Montana Crash" School Transportation News, April 1999, p.1)

Train-School Bus Collision: Sinton, Texas.
Time and Date: 7:51 p.m., Feb. 28, 1998
Weather conditions: Not available.
Event: School bus drives on to rail-highway grade crossing in front on an approaching train.
Injuries: 19 school bus passenger injuries, including 16 students and three coaches, bus driver injured.
Accident report: Official report not yet completed.

Description of collisions: A slow-moving southbound Kansas City Southern freight train struck a school bus operated by West Baton Rouge Parish. There were no passengers on the bus when the accident occurred. The bus was driven by a substitute driver who the NTSB determined was fully certified but whose commercial driver’s license was revoked at the time because of her failure to respond to an administrative reclassification action.
Witnesses said after the slow-moving freight train cleared the crossing, the school bus followed other vehicles around the gates, entered the mainline track, and was struck on the left side. Witnesses also said the train horn was being sounded and its lights were illuminated. It is noted in report No. SRH-97-F-H001 the bus driver met all of the requirements to operate a school bus. The grade crossing signals were operating at the time of the accident.

Description of collisions: A southbound Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines freight train travelling between 20-25 mph struck a school bus (operator unknown) carrying four special education students estimated to be travelling between 30-40 mph at the time. An investigation showed the bus driver may have seen the train at the last minute and applied the brakes but to no avail. As the train neared the crossing, crew members noticed the approaching school bus and applied the emergency brakes at a distance of about 100 feet from the crossing when it was apparent the bus would not stop.
Report No. 4130 noted three automobile drivers witnessed the accident, all of whom had stopped at the crossing for the approaching train. Each said they heard the train coming and the automatic crossing-warning signals, along with the crossing bell, were operating at the time. The three drivers said the school bus entered the crossing at an unreduced speed. The investigation showed the bus driver’s ability to see the train may have been restricted but the driver should have noted the other stopped vehicles, warning lights and horn warning of the approaching train.

Cause of accident: “This accident was caused by the school bus driver’s failure to stop short of a rail-highway grade crossing and to remain standing until the approaching train had passed as required by New Jersey State law,” report No. 4130 stated.

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Description of collisions: A yellow school bus tried to cross a set of diagonal tracks. As the bus entered the grade crossing it was hit by a Union Pacific Railroad Co. train traveling at 79 miles per hour. The train slammed into the side of the 60-passenger bus, tearing it in half. Parts of the bus were carried 455 feet down the track.
Due to extreme cold that morning, the rear bus windows were frosted. The driver had a narrow two-inch clear space to see out the window. The tracks crossed County Road 52 diagonally so the driver had to look over his left shoulder to see if a train was coming. The grade crossing did not have flashing lights or a warning signal, only a crossbuck sign. The driver testified that he stopped before crossing the tracks, a point confirmed by one of the children who survived.
School bus driver 23-year-old Duane Harms was arrested and charged with involuntary manslaughter. He was released when the supervisor of the transportation department of School District #6 posted $1,000 bail. Following a three day trial in Weld District Court, Harms was found innocent.

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Description of collisions: A northbound Peoria and Pekin Union Railway Co. freight train travelling at approximately 10 mph struck a bus operated by Crown Transit Bus Lines on the left side as it entered the crossing. Both signalmen on the train said the automatic bell was ringing continuously on its approach to the crossing, as was the crossing whistle signal and the warning lamps at the crossing. Buildings on the southeast side of the crossing completely obstructed the view of the train until it reached the crossing, according to report No. 58.
The train engineer said he then saw the bus cross the tracks and immediately applied the emergency brake. The bus driver told investigators he stopped between 10 and 15 feet from the nearest rail of the track and proceeded when he neither saw nor heard the approaching train. He blamed a defective battery or starter for the engine stalling once it stopped on the tracks. Witnesses, however, said the bus driver did not stop the bus prior to entering the crossing in the face of the warning signals.

Cause of accident: “This accident was caused by a bus being driven onto a rail-highway grade crossing immediately in front of an approaching train,” report No. 58 stated.

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Description of collisions: An eastbound Staten Island Rapid Transit Railway Co. passenger train travelling at an undetermined speed struck a school bus operated by Children’s Bus Service Inc. approximately 720 feet west of the station. The school bus entered the crossing on Bancroft Ave. at an undetermined speed and was struck on the left side. The train engineer said the train was travelling at approximately 30 mph when at a distance of 500 feet from the crossing, he noticed the school bus waiting a few feet from the track and immediately cut off the train’s power.
The engineer sounded the train’s horn and at a distance of about 100 feet, the school bus drove on to the track and the collision occurred, according to report No. 3902. The school bus driver said he did not see the train approaching until the bus was crossing the tracks. The driver accelerated in an effort to unsuccessfully avoid the train and he noted his ability to hear the train earlier might have been hampered by the unusually noisy children on board the bus. An investigation disclosed the bell and red lamps of the railroad-crossing warning signals were functioning and the train’s horn was being sounded continuously as it approached the crossing.

Cause of accident: “This accident was caused by a school bus being driven onto a rail-highway grade crossing immediately in front of an approaching train,” report No. 3902 stated.

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Description of collisions: An eastbound Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Co. passenger train travelling at approximately 45 mph struck a 36- passenger Garrett County Schools’ bus. The school bus driver reported stopping short of the track crossing. Report No. 3855 stated the warning bells and lights of the highway crossing signals had not been activated and the driver proceeded across the track. The bus stalled on the track and after unsuccessful attempts to re-start the vehicle, the driver saw the train approaching at a distance of about 2,600 feet from the crossing. The driver said he instructed the 27 children on board to exit the bus from its front door shortly before the crash occurred. An inspection of the bus revealed the engine was not damaged. Witnesses said the warning devices on the highway crossing signals were actuated about the time the school bus became stalled at the crossing. The investigation showed there was a short interval between the time when the bus stalled and the bus driver saw the train. The report stated during that time, no effort was made by the driver to evacuate the passengers, contrary to the driver’s accounts.

Cause of accident: “This accident was caused by a school bus becoming stalled on a rail-highway grade crossing,” report No. 3855 stated.

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Description of collisions: A westbound Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad Co. freight train travelling at an estimated speed of 20 mph struck a 1955 VS nursery school bus owned by P. Kooyega of Blue Island, Ill. with 11 children and the driver on board. The bus had a specified capacity of eight persons and it entered the crossing at an undetermined speed. According to report No. 3828, train engineers reported the locomotive’s lights were on at the time and the school bus crossed the tracks just as the train was approaching the crossing. The school bus driver claimed the warning bells and lights at the crossing were not in operation at the time the bus crossed the track. Prior to crossing the track, the driver of the bus said he stopped and then proceeded when he did not observe a train approaching. The railroad engineer said the warning lights were operating at the time. An investigation revealed highway vehicles frequently move over the crossing although the warning devices are in operation and trains are closely approaching the station.

Cause of accident: “This accident was caused by a school bus being driven onto a rail-highway grade crossing immediately in front of an approaching train,” report No. 3828 stated.

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Description of collisions: A southbound Cincinnati, New Orleans and Texas Pacific Railway Co. freight train travelling at an estimated speed of 50 mph struck a Rhea County School Board bus occupied by the driver and 49 pupils. The train engineer applied the emergency brakes about 50 feet north of the crossing when it became obvious that the school bus was not going to stop at the crossing. The engineer added the brakes failed to slow the train’s forward progress and said the flashing light warning signals at the crossing were operating at the time of the collision.
Contrary to witness and train engineer reports, the school bus driver claimed the warning signals at the crossing were not in operation. One witness, and several passengers on the bus, also said the driver did not stop before entering the crossing, report No. 3647 noted. Once the bus driver saw the approaching train, he attempted to accelerate through the crossing. Two school children on the bus said they saw the approaching train and warned the driver but he replied by saying he intended to cross ahead of the train. An investigation revealed the warning lights were operational at the time.

Cause of accident: “This accident was caused by a school bus occupying a rail-highway grade crossing immediately in front of an approaching train,” report No. 3647 stated.

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Description of the collision: A westbound Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad freight train travelling at 52 mph struck a school bus operated by the Jordan School District occupied with 38 students at a county road crossing approximately 2.7 miles west of Riverton. The school bus was demolished in the accident. Report No. 2315 stated the train’s engineman said the locomotive’s whistle was sounding and when the presence of the school bus was noticed, the train’s air brakes were applied in emergency as the train approached the crossing. The light snow falling at the time but vision was estimated to be about 2,500 feet.
A witness said the bus stopped at the crossing and then proceeded on to the track at which time it collided with the train. The surviving students said the windows of the bus were foggy and steamed at the time and it as impossible to see through them. None of the pupils said they heard the approaching train. An investigation showed there was nothing to obstruct the eastward view of the driver other than foggy windows. Visibility was determined to be about one-half mile and the train’s whistle was sounded along with the application of the emergency brake prior to the collision.

Cause of accident: “This accident was caused by a school bus being driven upon a highway grade crossing directly in front of an approaching train,” report No. 2315 stated.

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Train-School Bus Collision: Williamsport, Maryland
Time and Date: 11:26 p.m., April 11, 1935
Weather conditions: Cclear, sunning, light wind
Event: School bus drives onto rail-highway grade crossing in front on an approaching train.
Injuries: 14 school bus passengers die, 11 school bus passengers injured.
Accident report: The Rockville Tragedy by Debra Carbaugh Robinson

Description of the collision: A Washington D.C. bound Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, the St. Louis Flyer, traveling at approximately 56 mph, struck a school bus at the Baltimore Road grade crossing. The bus was occupied by 25 students, a chaperone, and the driver, Mr. Percy Line. Line was driving a new Diamond T school bus, returning the students home from a day-long field trip to the University of Maryland in College Park. Line stopped the bus at the grade crossing and after looking both ways proceeded across three sets of tracks. When he heard the warning bells of the approaching locomotive, he stepped on the gas. But it was to late. The train sliced through the rear section of the bus, dragging it more than 1,700 feet down the track. Occupants were tossed out and bodies lay scattered along the tracks.