SPRING HILL – A minor crash involving a school bus left a woman questioning why she is responsible for damages to her vehicle, even though she wasn’t driving at the time of the crash.
A witness contacted RNRF this afternoon to report that a school bus had hit a parked car and then drove off without stopping. After nearly 40 minutes, the witness says the bus driver returned to the scene but only at the direction of the Transportation Department.
Carrie Kearns, the driver of the damaged Chevrolet says she was parked at the intersection of Bromley Ave and Eddington Road, waiting for the bus to drop off her 11-year-old daughter. When the bus pulled up to the intersection, Kearns says she had a feeling the driver was too close to her car and that something bad was about to happen. When Kearns’ daughter exited the bus and opened the door to their car, the bus driver turned right onto Eddington Road and crashed into the front left corner of Kearns’ car. Despite blowing her horn and witnesses screaming for the driver to stop, he continued on and completed his route.
After he returned, Kearns says the driver stated he wasn’t aware that he had struck her vehicle. When Sheriff’s Deputies arrived on the scene, Kearns was told that she was partially at fault and that if they cite the bus driver, they would have to cite her for parking in the roadway.
Kearns found out the hard way that according to Florida Statute 316.1945 a person cannot stop, stand, or park a vehicle on the roadway of any street. It further specifies near an intersection or crosswalk.
Kearns says she doesn’t have full coverage insurance and that she’ll have to pay for the damages out of pocket.
The bus driver declined to comment.
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Learn how to drive and the rules of the road
Not only fired for leaving the scene. And since the district is responsible for who the hire and put behind the wheel. er car needs to be repaired
they have to prove he did it intentionally. good luck with that.
Seems like a conflict of interest that a county sheriff would investigate a county bus accident I would think the highway patrol would or should do it think I would get a lawyer
If it is indeed a law that you cannot park on a street, why do they consistently let people do it? Seems like it should have been considered a hit and run.
Don’t park in the way of these big vehicles and you won’t get hit. Park far enough off the road so you are not at risk of getting hit. Common sense
Gene you are right, some park in the street right up to the stop dign. If the driver of bus didn’t know he hit something, well he probably shouldn’t be driving, especially a school bus. They both deserve tickets and she should pay for her own car. Park right, stop if you hit somethin. If you hit a child, would you not know you hit a human being.??? Scsry. Now you have a choice by deputies if you get a ticket or NOT, THAT’S REAL MESSED UP!!
Commercial vehicles won’t feel a rub like a car would. I got rear ended when I drove a school bus and it was the kids on the bus that let me know. Never felt the car slide under the bus to the windshield.
Both should have been ticketed. Laws were broken.
Absolutely correct…
People consistently park on the roadway around here. Maybe this will be a wake up call for some. Especially when you are parking close to an intersection forcing people to stop at the intersection in the wrong lane blocking anyone that might want to turn in there. I see this all the time at crossings intersecting with Spring Hill Drive. Read your drivers manual or here is a novel idea, use your common sense and don’t park in the roadway. Even if she had collision coverage her insurance would be responsible for her damages. It’s called comparative negligence when both parties are at fault.
This should be a lesson to all the parents out there that park and block the roadway waiting for their kids. I see it on a daily basis.
the deputies are actually being nice and using officer discretion. You really cant park in the road way. Im surprised how many people dont realize parking in the road is not an option. The road is for moving traffic only or emergency vehicles responding to an emergency. The road is not your private parking lot. Sucks to learn the hard way but a scuff on the front bumper is not going to render her vehicle inoperable. I think the lesson here is live and learn and for the bus driver. come on man its a huge bus not your little sedan and you got little kids around you at all times. Use your mirrors buddy and learn spacial awareness. Mutual mistake.
I totally agree, lesson should be learned by this ladies mistake and for the bus driver i’m sure one of the kids probably told you but its not their job either. Use the mirrors your bus is equipped with . That could have been a kid.
Its not officer discretion. You are saying its okay for people to break the law and the cops get to decide who can break the law and which laws can be broken. SMDH. I would say that wa s the stupidest thing I’d ever heard except for the fact that is how it is in Hernando County.
obviously you are not too bright which makes it hard to comprehend what I typed. There are civil infractions like a moving violation and criminal statutes.like arson and battery. Civil law and criminal law are not the same thing. I understand if you are 5yrs old and found your parents computer and some managed to mash the keys as to why you have not figured this one out yet.. I still do get a slight laugh at the concept of well Im dumb bc you dont understand the concept I mentioned. You live in the real world where deputies can and will make decisions based on the events. Not every single situation is the same. Thats why officers have this wonder thing called discretion. They make human decisions. They are not robots. Now try to let all that sink in for a while before you start mashing the keyboard again.
Obviously you do not know how to type either. Just bang on the keyboard. The first letter of the first word in a sentence is capitalized. There is only one period at the end of a sentence, not two. It;s I’m, not Im. It’s that’s not thats. What is a wonder thing? Let that sink in before you start mashing your keyboard again
Thank you for your condescending comments. We all know you think you know everything about everything. Sadly you do not. The law is the law. You either abide by it or you don’t. As for me, this 5 year is going to stand up for justice. When you get your effing law degree come seeme and I will be happy to debate you. In the meantime you might look up the.meaning of the word “civility”. Youre’ one of those people who thinks by degrading other people it makes you look better. Sadly that is not true. Everyone on this forum knows your stunts. Your ilk are the kind that makes people wonder why they ever moved to Hernando County. But you keep doing what you need to do to make yourself feel important cupcake. We will continue to read your BS and shake our heads because we all know “you are the smartest guy in Hernando.”
Good job Chief…lol. And you nailed it Oh No. Food for thought seriously thinks he has all the answers to everything posted on here. WHATHE A JOKE….guessing he rode the short bus all his life. 😉
It’s funny people say the driver should get fired. There’s one driver that’s had several accidents and been drunk and she hasn’t been fired just a slap on the hand and suspension. Then a accident the day she came back and nothing done. That driver should be fired. But nope none of them will.
If the pics above indicate where she parked, then, yep, she was parked illegally.
Sorry people but she is at fault as much as the bus driver I’m so tired of people blocking off the road way when picking up their kids maybe next time she will be off the road way or better yet walking and getting some exercise never hurts me
No yellow paint on car
Actually Buzz nice catch . I just blew the picture of the car up and it appears to be an old accident that she’s trying to get fixed. the scuff marks on her lower bumper match whats above. yet the bus bumper is to high to hit the lower portion of her bumper. Guess she should have done what so many people do that are dishonest and take her car to a parking lot to say it was a hit and run. Wow, guess her mistakes gonna cost her.
another cover up by the school board, only in HERNANDO county
Well, I guess you have to give tickets to all the guys that park in the roadway to cut your lawn or buy your yard sale garbage. Just a thought.
Actually, just a f.y.i. , “Lawn guy’s ” can park in the roadways, aslong as they have orange construction cones or signs placed properly in the roadway to divert traffic around them….
what law provides immunity to lawn guys? just curious since you are sure about what you said..lol My friend had someone drive up into his lawn trailer, ran over the orange cones and all. The fhp officer issued a uniform citation to both operators. This was a year ago. I didnt know if some special exemption was passed I didnt hear of.
Let me guess she only had pip. When people purchase minimal insurance who do they think will repair their car? This is only minor damage. What would she do if the car was not drivable? People need to stop being irresponsible. If you want to drive with PIP then start saving for the “just in case”. If the car has a replacement value of $1500, then that is your savings goal. This way if the car needs repair you have the money. If you can’t save the money then you may want to consider if you should be driving or not. Most of all take responsibility for the choices you make!
Amen on that post Inclusive. !!!!
Aren’t we all entitled to do what we want????
yup,I see it every day its called common sense and lazy! get out of the way of the Bus! you have no Idea how much **** that bus driver has to deal with
“When the bus pulled up to the intersection, Kearns says she had a feeling the driver was too close to her car and that something bad was about to happen.” Did she not think a little common sense that at that point in time it would have been a good idea for her to move her vehicle? We all know that school buses, semi’s, ect. All need to make wide right turns, and that it is never a good idea to be close or parked in this case on the right side of one of them… I know if that was me I would not have sat there and waited for my daughter to get off the bus and in the car and for the bus to leave, I would have moved my vehicle the second I had a feeling we were too close, as she stated she did. Maybe she thought County vehicle = $$…
Read the very next sentence - “When Kearns’ daughter exited the bus and opened the door to their car, the bus driver turned right onto Eddington Road and crashed into the front left corner of Kearns’ car.”
So, sure, she could have moved but she probably would have run her daughter over in the process.
I would assume the daughter wasn’t opening the car door at the same time the bus was pulling up( which is when she stated she realized the bus was to close). But thank you for your attempt to correct me.
Every morning there are cars parked on the road at stop signs by parents waiting for the bus to come for their children. I have to go around and risk hitting cars, Some park at the stop sign that I have to edge out into the road to see. They need to pull off the road away from stop signs. This is not at that location but at a location I have to go through daily..
And THAT is illegal too. You can ask a cop…they will tell you. No one can pull up to a stop sign to park a car no matter WHAT the reason is. Bus stop, car accident, whatever the excuse is…it’s illegal. If you are waiting on someone, you have to pull off the road, or stop no LESS than 2 car lengths back before reaching the stop sign. That issue came up to a cop right near an elementary school as parents were pulling up to let their kids out to cross the road to the school. The line was backed all the way down the street so that drivers just passing through, could not make it up to the stop sign to turn. Cops put a big stop to that in a hurry. Gave warnings at first…then started writing tickets to the pigheads who persisted. It IS ILLEGAL TO STOP AND PARK or just SIT at at stop sign waiting on someone. You are obstructing the flow of traffic on the rodeway.
I ride that bus and it’s kinda disturbing and concerning to be in a driver who could potentially put lives in danger
Tom, thank you for posting this. When I came home today all the cars that are partially in the street waiting for their kids were completely off the roadway. Thank you for an article that was also a PSA.
If we can’t park in the road at the bus stops, where are we supposed to park?? The nearby residents don’t want you parking in their grass and tearing it up! Bad enough some of the kids run all through the yard.
I understand that she was technically partial at fault, but he HIT her, and LEFT!!! Did he not hear her honking the horn?
laws are laws. dont like them? get them changed(and dont park in a roadway when its illegal)