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PennDOT Changes Driver License Record Policy after Fatal School Bus Accident

By Paul Napoli

A school bus driver who allegedly caused a fatal accident earlier this year and had a job driving a school bus despite another fatal accident on his driving record, has inspired a change in Pennsylvania's Department of Transportation driving record policy.

The accident happened in the early morning of February 17, 2009 near the Perkiomen Valley Middle School West in Montgomery County, PA. Frederick Poust III turned the school bus he was driving across traffic and into the path of an oncoming car, injuring the car's driver and killing passenger Richard Taylor, 27, of Gilbertsville. Poust faces charges of homicide by vehicle and reckless endangerment.

Poust obtained a Commercial Driver's License even though he had been involved in a fatal accident in 1999 in which, distracted by his hand-held cell phone, Poust drove through a stop sign and into an oncoming car, killing 2-year-old Morgan Lee Pena and injuring her mother.

Private school bus contractor, Student Transportation of America, saw nothing of the 1999 accident when they checked Poust's driving record upon hiring him in 2009, because PennDOT policy was only to release the past 10 years of commercial driver's license history and any accident citations.

PennDOT will implement a new policy regarding driving records for school bus driver applicants no later than October 2010 expanding accident information contained on a driver record. School districts and school bus contractors will now be able to see all of an applicant's accident record and the severity of any accident noted by the description: property, injury or fatality.

The policy change was in response to a letter from State Reps. Josh Shapiro, D-Montgomery, and Bryan R. Lentz, D-Delaware requesting the agency to make all accident information available to school districts prior to hiring school bus drivers.

"I'm pleased that PennDOT has responded to our request so quickly. The decision to provide full driver history ends the stove-piping in our government to ensure the safety and well-being of our children," Shapiro said in a statement yesterday.

"Parents trust that the state is doing everything to ensure that the school bus drivers hired to transport their children to and from school are qualified," Lentz said in the statement. "The case involving Mr. Poust shows us that the current system is not working, and a tragedy such as this should never have happened."

If you, your child or loved one has been injured or your child or loved one killed in an auto accident, Napoli Bern Ripka LLP has the experience and knowledge needed to successfully handle your auto accident case. Contact us immediately after an auto accident and we will discuss the situation with you and come up with a plan of action to help you get compensation for your injuries, property damage or a loved one's wrongful death. Visit www.NapoliBern.com or call 1-888-529-4669 to discuss your case and find out the best course of action to ensure that you get the compensation you deserve.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Paul Napoli

Full post as published by New York City Personal Injury Lawyer on April 06, 2010 (boomark / email).