Bus driver over 2 times legal limit while taking 44 kids from field trip, VA cops say
A school bus driver transporting dozens of elementary students from a field trip was more than two times the legal driving limit for blood alcohol content, Virginia officials said.
The bus veered off a road, landing in a ditch during the ordeal that left nine children hurt, according to the Fairfax County Police Department.
“It’s obviously a very concerning situation,” Capt. Rachel Levy said in video of a news conference that WTTG shared on Facebook. “We expect our children to go to school and come home safe every day, to include if they’re on a field trip.”
Now, the man accused of being behind the wheel of the bus is facing multiple charges, including driving while intoxicated. Police in an Oct. 28 news release didn’t list attorney information for the driver, identified as 48-year-old Troy Reynolds.
Lewis Ferebee, chancellor of nearby District of Columbia Public Schools, in an online post said that there had been an “isolated traffic incident” impacting Murch Elementary School students on Oct. 27. The district said the children received medical evaluations and reported no serious injuries.
“DCPS takes this incident very seriously, and our teams will do a thorough review of our transportation vendors to ensure that student safety is always prioritized,” Ferebee wrote in the statement posted to Twitter.
Police said the bus had 44 students and four adults on board after a field trip to Cox Farms in Centreville, Virginia. The driver reportedly was taking students back to Murch Elementary School in Washington, D.C., when the bus went into a ditch along Braddock Road in Fairfax County, Virginia.
“The bus struck a rock, causing the rim to bend and the rear tire to flatten,” officials wrote. “Reynolds continued driving until the adults on the bus convinced him to follow a second bus, which was also returning to the school from the field trip. The two buses stopped in a parking lot.”
First responders were called to the parking lot, where nine students received treatment for non-life-threatening injuries, according to officers. Kids from the two buses were taken to another location before returning to their school.
Among the two buses, police reported finding 18 safety violations.
Reynolds, a Maryland resident, was arrested and taken to jail. He is accused of having a blood alcohol concentration of 0.2, more than two times Virginia’s legal driving limit of 0.08.
“Reynolds was charged with driving while intoxicated – 2nd within 5-10 years with a child, commercial DWI with child endangerment, and nine counts of gross, wanton, or reckless care for child,” officials wrote. “Additionally, Reynolds’ license was found to be revoked in Virginia from a prior DWI and suspended in Maryland.”
This story was originally published October 30, 2022 at 12:13 PM with the headline "Bus driver over 2 times legal limit while taking 44 kids from field trip, VA cops say."
