School bus driver charged in Tuesday morning's fiery crash in Winston-Salem
Posted: Thursday, September 8, 2016 3:45 pm
By Arika Herron Winston-Salem Journal
The driver of a school bus involved in an accident earlier this week has been charged in the crash.
John Lester Ijames, 81, was cited with a safe movement violation-failure to yield right of way after he turned in front of a pickup at Cherry Street and Polo Road on Tuesday morning. Two Jefferson Elementary School students were on the bus at the time, but were uninjured.
The driver of the truck, Terry Wayne McCarney Jr., was taken to a local hospital for treatment of injuries not considered to be life-threatening injuries, according to the Winston-Salem Police Department.
Ijames is a part-time bus driver and has worked for Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools since 2012. This was the second accident he was involved in during the past year.
He was not at fault in a March accident, when another driver rear-ended the bus he was driving.
Theo Helm, spokesperson for the school system, said Ijames had a “post-accident observation and training” conference with the North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles on Thursday and is still driving for the district.
Ijames was driving bus No. 239 Tuesday morning when he made a left-hand turn from Cherry Street onto Polo Road shortly before 7 a.m. McCarney was driving south on Cherry Street near Polo Road and collided with the bus in the intersection.
The impact of the crash caused the vehicles to become stuck together and crushed McCarney’s driver-side door.
Police said McCarney was pinned inside the truck when it caught fire. Officers used their fire extinguishers to keep the flames at bay, but could not get the fire completely extinguished because of how the vehicles were stuck together.
McCarney was freed after a passer-by, George Rodgers, stopped and used his tow chain and truck to pull McCarney’s truck free from the school bus. At that point, officers were able to put out the fire and free McCarney, using crowbars to pry open the driver’s side door.
Someone at 81 should NOT have that type of responsibility just for the reasons of their reaction time and many of the students these days are difficult to deal with. Seriously, driving a school bus at 81? Get a life old man.
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Good samaritan praised for helping free man from fiery crash involving Forsyth County school bus
Winston-Salem Police photo.
Winston-Salem Police tweeted this photo of a truck which investigators said was hit by a school bus Tuesday morning.
Posted: Tuesday, September 6, 2016 11:00 am
By Arika Herron Winston-Salem Journal
One driver was taken to a local hospital after his truck collided with a school bus and caught fire Tuesday morning, police said.
Terry Wayne McCarney Jr. was taken to a local hospital to be treated for non-life-threatening injuries, according to the Winston-Salem Police Department. Shortly before 7 a.m., McCarney was driving south on Cherry Street near Polo Road when a northbound Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools bus turned left from Cherry Street onto Polo Road.
McCarney’s truck and the bus collided in the intersection. The impact of the crash caused the vehicles to become stuck together and crushed McCarney’s driver-side door.
Lt. Vince Rega said McCarney was pinned inside the truck when it caught fire. Officers used their fire extinguishers to keep the flames at bay, but could not get the fire completely extinguished because of how the vehicles were stuck together.
Rega said it was a passer-by who stopped to help that enabled officers to free McCarney.
George Rodgers was driving by the scene. He stopped and used his tow chain and truck to pull McCarney’s truck free from the school bus. At that point, Rega said, officers were able to put out the fire and free McCarney.
“That citizen really did a lot of good for that gentleman,” Rega said.
Officers used crowbars to pry open the driver’s side door.
Bus 239, being driven by John Lester Ijames, was carrying two Jefferson Elementary students at the time. No one on the bus was injured, according to police reports.
Another bus was used to finish the route, said Theo Helm, spokesman for Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools.
Police said the investigation into the crash is ongoing and no charges have been filed.