LINCOLN, Maine — RSU 67 school bus driver Casey Voisine will not be charged in connection with an accident that seriously injured a 6-year-old girl, Police Chief William Lawrence said Wednesday.
With the announcement, police closed the investigation into the Jan. 18 accident at Ariel and Clark streets in which Ella P. Burr School student Sophia Nelson suffered compression skull fractures, a neck fracture and a broken femur after being hit by the bus’s right front fender. Police forwarded their report to RSU 67 Superintendent Denise Hamlin at about 12:30 p.m., Lawrence said.
A copy of the report Lawrence released to the media appeared to lack a detailed narrative promised within its cover page. Lawrence did not immediately say why that narrative was lacking on Wednesday.
Now Hamlin and possibly the RSU 67 board of directors will decide whether to take administrative action in connection with the accident. Earlier Wednesday, Hamlin said she would review the police report before taking action.
Lawrence had expressed doubt late last week that Voisine would face any charges. Voisine “said she doesn’t recall [seeing Sophia] once she stepped off the bus,” he noted.
“With a criminal charge or a motor vehicle charge, you have to prove intent, and we are not seeing intent at this point in time. We have even looked at negligence and we are not seeing it at this time,” Lawrence said late last week.
Voisine, who was described by school officials as a cautious driver with a good safety record, was deeply distressed at the accident scene. Per standard procedure, she remains on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.
Sophia has been recovering from her injuries since the accident.
A man who identified himself as Sophia’s father after he answered the door at her Ariel Street address said she had been home from Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor since Saturday and was recovering well from the accident.
I don’t know how a trained school bus driver can not be in a negligent situation if her bus hits a child she has just dropped off…I’m sure I’ll get bombed by people telling me what a stressful job it is and that I couldn’t do it…but none of them will be able to adequately explain how this isn’t a case of negligence.
Negligence: n: The act of neglecting or failing to pay proper heed to.
Why, because there is additional information that is not being made public.
Good luck to the young girl for a speedy recovery and the driver in overcoming the guilt. There is nothing to be gained by pointing fingers and rehashing this issue. Please just give it a rest.
over come the guilt, this drive was responible for that child if the child was close enough to get hit by the bus. it is the drivers fault period.
She went back to pick up her scarf that she dropped? Is that your additional information? Well then, that totally absolves the driver and puts responsibility for the injured 6 year-old on who? The 6 year-old child? That just doesn’t make sense. The little girl isn’t being paid to ensure bus safety, the driver is. Frankly, The driver injured the child and should be held responsible. Otherwise, the child has to be responsible, and who in their right mind would make 6 year old children responsible for their own safety?That’s just ridiculous, and illogical.
In my opinion, even if she dropped something and went back, the driver pretty much stated that she did NOT see Sophia clear the bus in the first place, which is what a driver is suppose to do. That being said, my thoughts and prayers go out to all involved.
I agree 100%. Her statement that she didn’t see the girl after she “stepped off the bus” makes her sound negligent to me. That being said, I’m sure she’s paying for it mentally every day.
Criminal negligence is not the same as common law negligence, neither of which are based on the definition you find in a dictionary.
How about irresponsible, Ryan? Are you one of those that thinks 6 year-olds should be individually responsible for their own bus safety?I thought the driver was paid to be rsponsible for bus safety. Not in lincoln, I guess.
What a strange leap in logic you make.
There is no law against being irresponsible, by the way.
Maybe not Ryan, I’ll assume that you would know.
are you serious??!! Wow- please tell me she has at least lost her license!
The caption reads “…where an unidentified girl…” yet the article refers to her by name. Maybe the caption should be updated?
But the “unidentified girl” sounds so mysterious and more people might want to read it. lol. just a guess
There is nothing to be gained by pointing fingers or rehashing this accident. Please think off the families involved and wish for a full recovery.
….
I hope that this raises the awareness of all people to actually pay attention during safety meetings. If she had followed ALL safety procedures this would not have happened, she should at least lose her job and the school better get ready to pay for this girl to have more than comfortable life. That’s the least they can do.
Please reread MyThoughts post above,
”
“Why, because there is additional information that is not being made public.”
Until you know what that information might be how about you hold off on the license supension and the school “getting ready to pay” idea.
Another expert about nothing.
You hit the nail on the head.
Must be another relative ready to attempt a defense of actions that are NOT within regulations. Loss of license is a nice gift! She should go to jail for reckless endangerment of a minor and unsafe operation of a school bus.
The rules say she should clear the area imediatley outside of the bus….SHE DID NOT~! report not needed…………………..no school bus license or cdl for life.
I would hire her to clean the school busses though
No, not a relative.
Just hate the lynch mob mentality on here.
You know what? I would even give you the same consideration until ALL the facts were presented.
The question I have is this:
Did the girl clear the area of the school bus and then turn around and go back for some reason? If so then the driver would have been fully justified in believing it was safe to move the bus and her attention would have been properly focused on the road in front, mirrors, etc.
Or perhaps you think the driver should start driving the bus while still looking at the students. Or maybe we should have a rule that the bus cannot move until the driver sees the student actually enter their house and the door closes?
I’m waiting to hear the whole evidence before passing any judgment.
True, I am sure we will never know. I really wonder why her parents themselves or another responsible adult is not waiting for a 6 year old to get off the bus? I sure don’t have my 5 year old (nor will I when he is 6, etc.) get off the bus without an adult waiting!
Sometimes an accident is just that–an accident! I am sure that this bus driver is punishing herself every single day over this. My guess is she will choose to find a different profession, which is too bad if she has been a good bus driver up until this happened. Not every accident is a criminal case.
So glad the driver is allowed back to work, this was obviously a very horrible ACCIDENT, and nothing more, i hope a full and speedy recovery for Sophia, and i hope this hasnt given Casey any long term problems!
an accident is a tree falling on a kid……this was totally preventable therefore not an accident!
A tree falling on a child is not an accident!
If that tree was in that poor of a condition then the homeowner should have known it and had it removed. No exceptions. I don’t care if the tree “looked” OK. Every tree should be inspected by a licensed professional forester every year.
She wouldn’t drive my children to school. She’s irresponsible. I guess Lincoln expects 6-year-olds to be responsible for safety around the bus. Bus driver inattention caused this little girl to be seriously injured.
Dear Lincoln Police and I know one of you… the next time a drunk doesn’t stop for the old lady crossing the street in front of Marden’s will you let them go too? Or the next soccer mom that doesn’t see the kid walking behind her mini van at the soccer field? Wow better replace the orange cones in front of Marden’s. With a big huge sign that says.. we don’t care if you mow down our children, our elderly, or anyone else stupid enough to walk near our streets or parking lots!
it was an accident, she wasn’t on drugs, she wasn’t drinking, she wasn’t texting, wish some people could get it through their thick skulls that it WAS AN ACCIDENT….just saying. Yes RALPH!!! Every time a kid gets off the bus the driver should get off with them and walk them to the front doors..maybe even cook suppah while the traffic is stacking up behind the bus…GET REAL RALPH!!!! IT WAS AN ACCIDENT!!!!! BONE HEAD!!!!
And the little girl is responsible. Certainly not the driver, she was irresponsible.
there’s more criticism about this bus bus driver than there was about Obama when he was running for Pres., according to lollipop she wouldn’t stand a chance as Pres., with a name like that he might vote for Barney Frank…
It was an accident caused by the drivers negligence…..just sayin’
Lynchmob Armchair Expert.
Impressive, go have another beer.
All you have to do is say you didn’t see anyone and you’re cleared. And don’t forget to act remorseful. Evidently that’s important.
She was cleared people, what part don’t you understand??????
Some people have thick skulls.
Right Stevey, It was the 6 year old girls responsibility. And you think some people have thick skulls. You are the expert.
A little sensitive?????? I am an expert, I picked you out of the crowd for having a thick skull..Pretty easy too….
Stevey must be related to the driver.
We need to do something about this kind of tragedy. In many states buses have arms that open in front of the bus so the child has to walk out far enough in front of the bus so he is seen. It would not cost that much to add these arms to our buses in Maine. Accidents happen. We can prevent many of them with this type of fix. We are all human and it only takes a second of distraction for such an event to transpire. Hopefully this woman will find a different line of work.
I saw a bus in Enfield the other day, it had one of those arms. Guess what it didn’t work. I don’t know if the bus driver can shut it off or if it was defective.
They FREEZE!!! It is Maine ya’ know.
The little stop signs that swing out were working just fine. If they can keep them from freezing they should be able to keep the stick working also. The buss driver is supposed to do a safety check before they leave the yard.
Well, clearly she is responsible for the safety of the child and failed that. How in the world can you let this person drive again? By the way, there is really no such thing as an accident. “Accidents” really are unsafe situations whose odds have expired. Prevention should be top priority on these buses and I agree with the post below that the swing arm that makes children walk way out in front of the bus to cross will save someone if installed. Lots of states require them and I am surprised the insurance companies don’t require them to continue coverages.
I don’t know who these investigators are that “cleared” this school bus driver or what mail order bus accident investigation school they attended, but hear this….The National Association for Pupil Transportation cites BOB (By Own Bus) as the number 1 caused of death of K-3rd grade students. What this driver did was FAIL to clear the Danger Zone (10 foot box around the bus) before moving after discharging stidents. Whoever CLEARED her must be a relative or neighbor. This is the most serious mistake a bus driver can make and it is UNFORGIVABLE. Her “S” endoresment should be revoked along with her Passenger “P” enodoresement on her CDL for lilfe. The next person she may run over my be you or your kids. Investigators in this case are Negligent in their findings and only a miracle saved this poor childs life!!!! Check the statutes on Bus Drivers responsibilities when discharging students…………………….I’m sure she failed to follow protocol.
couldn’t have said it any better…….and a civil lawsuit will be a slam dunk, why?
The question I have is this:
Did the girl clear the area of the
school bus and then turn around and go back for some reason? If so then
the driver would have been fully justified in believing it was safe to
move the bus and her attention would have been properly focused on the
road in front, mirrors, etc.
Or perhaps you think the driver
should start driving the bus while still looking at the students. Or
maybe we should have a rule that the bus cannot move until the driver
sees the student actually enter their house and the door closes?
I’m waiting to hear the whole evidence before passing any judgment.
If the driver can not recall the girl clearing the bus, how can we question if the the girl cleared it and then went back? From my understanding the girl never went back to retrieve something. This is what we call an accident, however the driver did not follow safety protocol. When carrying precious cargo such as children, I would say this should be one of the most important safety measure’s followed. Yes the driver is suffering, however there is a 6 year girl with very painful injuries suffering too. It seems we are forgetting her plus her family who is caring for her. This has to be a very taxing situation on them. Fractured skull, neck, leg, etc. has to be very painful for the child, but I could not handle seeing my 7 year old going through that. This is a life changing event for them. Loss of work to care, sleepless nights, etc. Before we cheer that the driver was cleared, we may want to consider the child and family. I can’t imagine reading these posts if I were one of the parents.
It would make no difference. The driver should not run over a child. She is paid to be responsible for bus safety, not the little girl.
You said all you needed to say when you said your first three words “I DON’T KNOW” .
What a joke. Seriously. Fire the bus driver for failure to excercise due caution when releasing students from her bus. If you or I struck this child with a motor vehicle, how far do you think we’d get by saying we didn’t see her? This just wreaks, worse than the stench of the mill. The cops should be investigated as well, and then fired. INo charges filed? Pedestrians in Lincoln– beware. I don’t have to look out for you if you cross the street in front of me, I just didn’t see you, and I’ll act remorseful, O.K. with that? Oh , and I won’t be charged, I’ll be cleared. You’ll love it when it’s you laying in the hospital.
Me thinks thou protests too much.
Several things could have prevented this type of accident
1) driver inattintion to the clearing of the danger zones around the bus and not keeping track of the kids
2)A crossing arm bar that opens when the redlights are enabled. which needs to work properly during her pretrip
3) why was a 6yr old being let of the bus without an adult there to meet her. The school needs to inpliment a new policy if an adult isn`t there when dropping off the younger kids then the driver needs to return the student to school
I have operated School Bus Companies in NY, CT, NH and VT. All of these states have statutes regarding the exact procedure for discharging students (most especially the little ones K-3rd Grade)
1: count students as they exit the bus
2: Instruct those students needing to to cross to exit the bus and walk along the curb far enough ahead pof the bus so that thay can see the driver
3: WAIT for the bus driver to signal you to to cross
4: If the horn sounds go back to starting curb
ALL BUS DRIVERS ARE REQUIRED TO BE SURE EVERY STUDENTR THAT HAS EXITED HAS BEEN ACCOUNTED FOR OUTSIDE THE 10 FOOT BOX CALLED THE DANGER ZONE. If a driver cannot verify all student that have exited have cleared the zone, the driver is required to shut off the bus, exit and verify there are no students in that zone.
I am SURE Maine has the statute.
you are on the right path in your post!!!!
Add Ohio to that list. In Cleveland Public Schools if the designated adult is NOT at the bus stop of kindergarteners that child is returned to the school and parents are called first time. After that if it occurs again they pick up their kid at DHHS!
I bet if the girl’s family came from money, this story would be turning out way different. Here the findings seem to be supporting the driver and the school district.
If everybody who has had an accident lost their license there would not be any drivers on the road. Wait, don’t people who don’t have a license still drive anyway?
The investigation may be over, the findings in but, the little girl was injured and will be a long time recovering. The bus driver should be at the very least face loss of license.
Speedy recovery Sophia.
Drive your kids to school. Period.
I love the conspiracy theory scenario from some of the posters below….Keep up the good detective work folks. Entertainment at its best..LOL
Just drive your kids to school. period. If you can’t then deal with what you have because the schools are trying to help you with your children.
Was there more than one child getting off at this stop or a bunch of kids?
Bus driving is not an easy job and not just anyone can do it. However the primary duty of the driver is to insure the safety of the kids while traveling to and from school. No, the driver did not intend to injure the student. BUT, the driver did fail his responsibility to insure the safety of that student while traveling to and from school. There are mirrors on the front of the bus to insure that a student can be seen from the drivers seat. There should be no excuse for not knowing whether or not the bus is clear to proceed.
If the school fails to take disciplinary action then that equals condoning such actions that endanger students. Perhaps it may be time for this driver to retire. It is also VERY necessary to maintain discipline on any bus so that the driver is not distracted from his duties. A bus that does not maintain order is an accident waiting to happen.
This is the perfect example of somenone not being held responsible for their actions. We all know that she didn’t do it on purpose and she was negligent. But, she needs to be held accountable for her mistake. There are consequences for ones’ actions. Her mental state is nothing compared to what she is putting that girl and her family through. The Lincoln police chief should be ashamed of letting small town mentality influencing his decison.
Wow you people amaze me!!!!! First of all you should be ashamed that you can all run your mouths and hide who you are! The bus driver stated she can’t remember can you even imagine what was going thru her mind that minute, whe was in shock do you think it would be easy to remember what happened that day….Don’t you think she is going thru enough without all the remarks…You should all be praying for the families of both involved and that the little girl makes a speedy recovery.
You run your mouth, but only to defend the indefensible. Negligence, pure and simple. Cops? Simple sums them up.
OK Columbo we got it.