LINCOLN, Maine — Now that she has been cleared of any criminal wrongdoing, the RSU 67 school bus driver involved in an accident that severely injured a 6-year-old girl on Jan. 18 “is no longer on administrative leave,” Superintendent Denise Hamlin said.
“The case is closed. Our insurance carrier will handle the remainder of the details,” Hamlin said in a brief statement released Friday. “The driver is no longer on administrative leave and remains part of our transportation department.”
Hamlin declined to comment further, citing personnel confidentiality.
Per standard procedure, driver Casey Voisine was placed on paid administrative leave immediately after the accident pending the outcome of the police investigation. Hamlin had said school officials would not take any action until police gave them the investigation report.
Ella P. Burr first-grader Sophia Nelson suffered compression skull fractures, a neck fracture and a broken femur in the accident and has been home from Eastern Maine Medical Center since Jan. 28.
Sophia told police she was hit by the bus’s front fender after getting off the bus at about 2:45 p.m. at Ariel and Clark streets. Voisine, who was deeply distressed by the accident, told police that she last saw Sophia just before the first-grader left the bus, police have said.
Police cleared Voisine of any criminal wrongdoing in the accident because investigators found no evidence of intent or negligence.
Hamlin described Voisine as a very cautious driver with a good safety record, and Police Chief William Lawrence called the accident “every bus driver’s nightmare” and a tragedy for the Nelson and Voisine families.
Glad to see the outcome of this.
After this accident, I will never let my children ride a bus in the Lincoln’s school system. There are some very poor decisions made in this school administration. I believe it was a accident, however her inaction caused a little girl and her family a huge amount of hardship. This simply could have been avoided by making sure she made sure all cleared the bus. Her own statement tells us she did not see Sophia after she got off the bus. One of the biggest safety measures were not followed through. The school administration has sent a very clear message to me that safety is not it’s priority for our children.
She should be off staff. To keep her on say a lot to the rest of the staff. And parents.
I would hate to see how your insurance rates have gone up. This is inexcusable. If I were a parent in that system I would be on the warpath. No matter how nice this woman is and how much she is liked this is not a job she is qualified for. She has aptly proven that. Her biggest job is to get those children across the street safely. She is supposed to be watching them until they are safely on the other side of the street, not mowing them down.
It’s called an accident for a reason, because it wasn’t done on purpose. Since I highly doubt that you were there, you don’t know all the facts. You only know what the news stations and the Bangor Daily has been reporting, but that doesn’t mean that it is the complete and full story of everything that happened.
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That’s why you got the big bucks. Anyone who screws up like she did ought to be doing something different. I wonder if he had survived if the Capt. of the Titanic would have been put back into the “drivers seat”?
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Minimum wage?? Therein lies the problem. School bus drivers are paid less that hamburger flippers? Pay more, get better people.
Where do you get the idea that bus drivers make less than fast food employees? Most fast food jobs DO pay minimum wage.
Maine’s minimum wage–$7.50 per hour
MacDonald’s starting pay–$7.60 per hour
School bus drivers don’t get paid “big bucks”. Most of them don’t even work a full 8 hour shift every day. Accidents do happen, but it seems like so many commenting on this story since it happened are quick to blame the driver for everything.
until you knowitalls sit in that seat and know what it’s like ,you have no right to give your EXPERT advice!!
I do not claim to be an expert on bus driving. I am, however, a parent of children that could ride that very school bus. As a parent, I make the final decision on my child’s safety, and the will not be riding a bus. Clearly, any school bus driver should be a expert and follow very basic safety protocols. I believe this was an accident, however it is what it is, she did not keep that child safe by her inaction. I believe it is the administration’s responsibility to make sure their driver’s follow the basics. Unfortunately, the driver showed she can not follow the basics. If it quacks, it’s a duck.
Don’t you think that this ACCIDENT has made all bus drivers better drivers,I know it did me and i’m not a bus driver.
ACCIDENT does not mean one can not be held accountable for their inaction. I 100% agree this was a ACCIDENT and was not intentional, but she didn’t even have a probation period, retraining, or anything of the sort.
What has ever become of common sense? Here’s a person whose job is totally dedicated to delivering her wards safely home. She made a huge mistake and there is no response from the administration? Unforgivable to return the children to her care. If she had done something sexual she would have been tossed out and prosecuted, but nearly kill one, its OK I guess.
I have never read such heartless and cruel comments Yes she made a mistake but you all need to take a chill pill Have you ever rode on a bus with middle school kids? Have you ever rode on a bus period with children. It can be a nightmare. I personally know someone who was a bus monitor and quit because of the kids on the bus were rude, fighting, yelling and just plain ignorant. My grandson came home one day from a ride on the bus with a large red area down his back from a middle school child throwing him down the aisle because he wanted his seat. So unless you have ridden a bus and watched what goes on on them don’t throw stones. I am sure this women is beside herself and is probably having a hard time emotionally right now. You state her biggest job is street safety well if you have kids screaming and fighting (not saying this was going on) behind you if can sometimes be hard to be watching everywhere.
I am very sorry to see what this nation has become. Instead of seeing the best in people we seem to look for the worst. It may come home to roost at their doorstep some day and there will be no one there to stand up for them. SAD :( This poor driver has gone through enough. Thank you, mema2001 for your insights.
Some people are just too quick to condemn a person. There are former criminals who get a second chance and turn their lives around and pay it forward, but all some people see is that they used to lead lives of crime.
Have seen the same thing: “He whom has been forgiven much loves much.” Harsh words hurt deeply when there is an opportunity for healing. We have all needed someone else’s understanding at one time or another. Have found it so much more fun to leave someone with a smile than a tear. Hope more people will try it today; they will never go back to the other way if they do, JenniferS. :)
So many have concentrated on the bus driver going through a lot. Try having a fractured head, neck, femur, and elbow. Try caring for this innocent child when she has unbearable headaches, bathroom needs that take more than double the time, and the emotional needs. The family is probably losing income home caring for the child and no rest. This child has injuries that may not 100% heal and have to live with them the rest of her life.
I know buses are filled with kids and there is a lot going on. Bottom line, the driver did not ensure safety of this child by not keeping count and track of the 3 that exited the bus. Her own recollection is that she didn’t see her after she stepped off the bus.
I am truly sorry for the driver too. I can not imagine what she is going through as well. Emotional recollections, probably a loss of sleep, and being uncomfortable in the town. Her family is most like experiencing this too.
At the end of the day, basic safety rules were not followed which resulted in this accident. Not even a citation for failure to use due care. Any civilian driving a vehicle with the same scenario would have had some type of discipline action.
As a parent and taxpayer in Lincoln, I am disturbed that absolutely no action has been taken by the school administration.
I STILL don’t see how negligence isn’t at play here….
It most likely would in a civil court.
I am wrestling with this one myself, but my own personal definition of negligence in this case would involve the bus driver talking on a cellular telephone, engaging the bus in gear while doing something other than driving (such as fussing with other students still on the bus), or otherwise not being engaged in the task of driving while the bus was moving. There has been no indication of that sort of behavior here. Without that, then this is perhaps a case of driver error.
Now: Is simple error equal to criminal negligence? If so, then the law effectively demands perfection, and no reasonable law can expect perfect behavior from human beings. Would that not be an unreasonable standard?
In some states school buses have an arm or gate if you like attached to the front bumper thats swings towards the passenger side,when the stop sign is activated for just this type of reason.Children are short and most times cannot be seen from the drivers seat. This gate makes the children walk around it so as to give the driver a direct veiw of anyone in front of the bus. I’d like to see these gates on all school buses so accidents like this are less likely to happen. And I truely hope this child makes a full and fast recovery.
Wonder if this is the same one who pulled out in front of me, so I had to stop and back up. So she would not run over the front of my car, when I had the right of way.
I hope the family sues as their child has suffered physically and I’m sure emotionally from this incident. I find it hard to believe the driver was cleared of negligence and the fact that the school put her back to work is incredibly insulting to the family. At least move her to a janitorial position, so she is not behind the wheel!
I would have to say the blame falls on both the parents and the bus driver. The bus drivers for not taking extra precautions and the parent or parents not being there too meet the bus when they show up. My child is a year older then this poor child but I like most parents have to be there to get their kids off the bus. When my child started school, I was informed that if your child is in K-4 a parent MUST meet their children at the bus stop.
However, I am thrilled that both the kid and the driver is alright.
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in reply to- uncledrinky ….Negligence is one thing, criminal is another.This is a civil matter and not criminal. Do you honestly think that this driver intentionally did this? If so do you have evidence? I doubt that this bus driver could be that heartless to intentionally hit a child.
would not let my reply to your comment where it should have appeared
I fully support this bus driver and wish her and Sophie the best going forward.