Beloved School Bus Driver Dies In Crash Near Tampa

A beloved school bus driver for the Hillsborough County Public Schools was killed on Monday, August 5th, while on her way to work. Reports from the police working within Tampa and Hillsborough County did not mention just where the fatal accident took place, and it is also not clear how many vehicles were involved and if anyone other than the bus driver was injured.

At the time of the crash, we know that the bus driver, who was on her way to pick up a school bus in order to begin collecting students for the first day of school, was planning on retiring at the end of the 2019-2020 school year. This means that Monday was to be her last first day of school ever.

Sadly, the students who had grown so fond of this driver over the years were not able to celebrate her final year together as the accident took place before she even arrived at work, meaning she was in a personal vehicle at the time of the collision.

Grief counselors are now on hand at the Hillsborough County Public Schools transportation office in order to assist other bus drivers as they pass through this devastating time. It is not clear if counselors will also be available at the public schools which were along this driver’s route.

At the time of this writing, no additional information regarding the circumstances of the crash have been released. All that is known at this time is that the bus driver was on her way to work when she was involved in a collision that caused her to sustain fatal injuries.

The driver leaves behind her a devoted community that is shocked and bereft at the sudden loss of one of their most dedicated and passionate members. The general manager for all of HCPS’ transportation operations has spoken to reporters about the great sadness that has fallen over the entire organization. The manager went on to say that in all of their 36 years of working for the school district, they had never met a person as devoted to the students and others around her as she did.

Sources:

• Longtime Hillsborough Co. school bus driver killed on her way to work in car

James O. Cunningham

Since 1977, personal injury lawyer James Cunningham has provided effective legal advocacy to people who are injured through the negligent actions of another person or entity throughout the Central Florida area. He fights to obtain recoveries for his clients’ physical and emotional pain and suffering and pursues his clients’ personal injury cases with a commitment to excellence and impeccable preparation.