Van Buren bus driver involved in accident found not guilty

KEOSAUQUA ? Hazel Boyd, a bus driver for the Van Buren Buren Community School District, recently was found not guilty of failure to report an accident resulting in personal injury or in total property damage of $1,500 or more.

Van Buren County Magistrate Steven Westercamp found the state failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Boyd?s notification of the Van Buren school transportation director and secretary, as the Bus Driver Handbook instructs, was not ?the quickest means of communication? of the accident to the Van Buren County Sheriff or Iowa State Patrol given that the accident involved three district buses, the accident occurred on school property and that almost immediately after the accident, Boyd was escorted by school personnel to the hospital for drug testing in conjunction with school policy. In addition, it was not clear from the evidence presented that Boyd was aware the accident resulted in personal injury or property damage greater than $1,500 before she was escorted from the scene for drug testing.

Westercamp ordered an immediate judgment of acquittal. The costs of the action were assessed to the plaintiff, the Sate of Iowa.

The accident involving the chain collision of three buses occurred after school Sept. 3 at the Douds Elementary School.

For the complete article, see the Friday, Feb. 11, 2011, printed edition of the Fairfield Ledger.