FHP: School Bus Driver Turned Into Path Of Car; 60 Students Uninjured

March 21, 2023

The Florida Highway Patrol said a school bus driver turned into the path of a car Tuesday afternoon in Cantonment, causing a crash.

The crash happened about 3:22 p.m. on Highway 29 at Archer Road. FHP said the 62-year old male bus driver turned from Archer Road onto northbound Highway 29 and into the path of a car driven at a high rate of speed by a 19-year old male.

“The school bus failed to yield to oncoming traffic while turning left as a result both vehicles collided,” FHP said.

There were no injuries on Escambia County bus 28-17, which was transporting 60 Tate High School students at the time.

Students on the bus were transported off the highway to the nearby parking lot of Faith Chapel Funeral Home to be released to their parents or transported home.

The driver of the car was transported by Escambia County EMS to Sacred Heart Hospital with minor injuries.

For additional photos, click here.

NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.

Comments

24 Responses to “FHP: School Bus Driver Turned Into Path Of Car; 60 Students Uninjured”

  1. Ed Appel on March 26th, 2023 12:36 pm

    I saw an accident in gulf breeze years ago when these kids were driving really fast to take a friend to the hospital for apparently over dose , When a Man pulled out of a restaurant on oreiol Beach rd. . I saw the whole thing happen right in front of me . As I watch the man pull out of the restaurant a car was speeding so fast the car collided with the man’s truck. I witnessed it all. I explained to the trooper the the car was going so fast they had no time to stop when they collided. The trooper said said it was the man in the trucks fought for not yielding to the car that was speeding. No matter what. Ps. The kid that was over dosing. Died at the Seen. So

  2. Joy on March 25th, 2023 12:43 pm

    I have only been driving for a few years but in those years I have seen car, business and 18 wheelers and smaller trucks make turns in front of me thinking I can stop in a split second! Even driving at 15 to 20 miles per hour it can’t be done without a mishap. When drivers see us in front of them and they want to make that turn, they want to speed up and I see them coming, I do slow my bus down. Just yesterday on 12th and Bayou Boulevard I made a right going toward WinnDixie, stayed in my right lane when all of a sudden a driver moved in front of me from the left, NO signal and slowed down to make a right into a complex. I had all I could do to slow my bus down to keep from hitting him. I just don’t get it.

  3. Bobby on March 23rd, 2023 5:10 pm

    Looks like a good place for a Traffic Light.

  4. Mike on March 22nd, 2023 10:17 pm

    So I was a former bus driver both parties look to be at fault I would say but don’t know the all the facts. I can say that when I was in middle school this happend to me I was on a bus coming out of a subdivision other students fighting and yelling and just as the substitute bus driver turned left out of the subdivision she said if you don’t stop we won’t make it to school.
    About a second after she said that a high school girl driving about 90 coming from around a blind corner hit our bus one seat in front of me. This happened about 100 feet or so from my driveway as I lived just a little outside the neighborhood. The girl hit us so hard she knocked us off all 4 wheels onto her hood the off all 4 wheels again and she slid into the ditch. They had to cut her out of the car and lots of kids went to hospital. Lucky no one died from this but just down the street was a 3 way stop one road going down to the highschool a girl did die in a car wreck at that intersection just a few years before. The thing is it’s nice to have a fast car or a nice car but doing 90 or not paying attention can kill or hurt people badly. Pay more attention and slow down is really what I’m getting at. Hope all is well with all involved bus drivers have it harder than most know and accidents happen if he’s at fault then he has to live with that. But there are a lot of hard working good drivers so respect them please.

  5. Old Bus Driver on March 22nd, 2023 3:26 pm

    How can you turn left on hwy 29 and you just left Tate and get your boor on the right bent in and all the tire marks is on the north bound lane I know that I’m not the smarts cookie in the box but how do you do that.

  6. J-THE-G on March 22nd, 2023 3:24 pm

    I’d wager the bus driver is truly at fault. High speed or not, if someone is in a lane, don’t pull out in front of them unless you are certain you can get up to speed before they catch up to you.

  7. JABIN on March 22nd, 2023 2:10 pm

    WELL THIS SHOULD SLOW THE PACE DOWN A LITTLE FOR AWHILE IN THIS AREA !

  8. Grandma on March 22nd, 2023 10:53 am

    The bus driver should protest this ticket. There are many witnesses to testify as to what they saw. The FHP were not there to witness. The driver is to be commended for keeping the students safe against an insanely driven Mustang. Let a judge decide this one.

  9. Unknown on March 22nd, 2023 9:20 am

    As a tate student who rides on the bus. It was terrifying hear them over the radio about 15 times call for 28-17. But within a few minutes we saw the first arriving unit pass by. It is amazing to hear that every student got off that bus safe and uninjured.

  10. Chezze Waggun on March 22nd, 2023 7:57 am

    School bus operators can be somewhat careless I have witnessed at times.

  11. mnon on March 22nd, 2023 2:03 am

    I didn’t know horses ate cheese!

  12. Charlotte Rebecca Bates on March 22nd, 2023 12:55 am

    It “WAS” a nice Mustang.

  13. Nicholas lilly on March 21st, 2023 10:24 pm

    I was on this bus as it happened and as we turned into the left lane he was no where to be seen until he hit the bus I don’t get how the bus driver is at fault

  14. Mandy on March 21st, 2023 9:25 pm

    As a school bus driver myself, both are at fault.

    19 year old traveling “at a high rate of speed” (thus totally plausible the bus driver began the turn based on confidence he had enough time IF the car was traveling at the speed limit)

    Bus driver turning left with an oncoming vehicle. I may play too safe, but I would never take the chance, same with cars with their blinker on, I’m not pulling out until I see those front tires turn in the direction indicated by the blinker.

    The safety of the kids on my bus is too important to take needless risks.

  15. Oversight on March 21st, 2023 9:04 pm

    Failure to yield to high speeding traffic? LOL! Both drivers should be ticketed.

  16. karen on March 21st, 2023 8:06 pm

    all jokes aside. THANK GOD NO ONE WAS HURT.

  17. Lisa D on March 21st, 2023 7:11 pm

    Big yellow school bus….

  18. Tatekid on March 21st, 2023 6:49 pm

    @bruh the accident happened like 5 minutes after the buses left and we got stuck sitting there for an hour

  19. Anonymous on March 21st, 2023 5:54 pm

    This white stuff is where they sprayed it because it started smoking.

  20. Jeff on March 21st, 2023 5:34 pm

    It’s a Mustang.

  21. gene on March 21st, 2023 5:26 pm

    Bill it’s MUD all over the car and windshield.

  22. bruh on March 21st, 2023 5:22 pm

    bruh literally 12 minutes after school got out this happens.

  23. Bill on March 21st, 2023 5:20 pm

    What’s that white stuff all over the Camaro and why is it on the windshield?

  24. Daisy on March 21st, 2023 5:13 pm

    How do you not see a big yellow bus