School Bus Slides Over Driver

A school bus driver died while installing tire chains on a 16-passenger van. He had been driving up a steep, icy hill. He was having difficulty controlling the vehicle, which began slipping backward before reaching the top.

The driver stopped the bus, put it in park and engaged the emergency brake. He got out, walked to the back of the bus and began installing tire chains. The bus started sliding backwards and trapped him under the bumper. The bus then rotated 90 degrees and continued sliding down the hill into an embankment on the edge of the roadway, crushing the victim between the bumper and the embankment.

As a driver, have you received the training you need to handle bad weather and bad road conditions? Do you know the safe procedures for putting on chains? They should be installed only when the vehicle is on level ground. When roads are slippery, a vehicle can start sliding from a standstill and run over the person who is putting on chains.