Thread: FL: School bus hit by tractor-trailer

Your comments are spot on melena! But I think the reason this story was placed in the "other topics News and issues' was because it was unknown as to the immigration status of the driver. The fact that it was placed here was due to the fact that we did not want to speculate on the immigration status of the driver based upon his name.

This "other topics" section is not related to illegal immigration. Now, if this story would have been placed in the "news section," then we would have an issue with assuming ones immigration status, based on a name. That would be unacceptable.

They say he was on his cell phone

Only the students name is mentioned in the first post

Originally Posted by NoBueno

Your comments are spot on melena! But I think the reason this story was placed in the "other topics News and issues' was because it was unknown as to the immigration status of the driver. The fact that it was placed here was due to the fact that we did not want to speculate on the immigration status of the driver based upon his name.

This "other topics" section is not related to illegal immigration. Now, if this story would have been placed in the "news section," then we would have an issue with assuming ones immigration status, based on a name. That would be unacceptable.

Correct! We don't want to speculate. I think this story is relevant based on the MI bus accident that killed four kids. Similar when the bus was hit so hard that it tipped the bus over. Let's see if any more comes of it.

Originally Posted by jimpasz

They say he was on his cell phone

New law in CA no driving and on the cell phone. Big ticket $200 if I remember correctly.

SOOOO sad a young girl had to die...My prayers go out to her family and may God bless her!!

AP Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_eYo1lkm00

Okay, Melena29 and Richard, as the poster of this story, I'm going to tell both of you that your speculations as to why I posted the story are bordering on ridiculous! My posting of the story had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that the guilty party had an Hispanic name. You're both seeing boogy men that don't exist. I posted this story simply because it was an avoidable tragedy that involved the death of a child. I can't help that the suspected killer has an Hispanic surname. What really bothers me about your accusations is the fact that I have, on many occasions, spoken out against assuming a person is illegal because of their name.

So, has it really come to the point where we can't post a story where an American citizen with a Hispanic name is involved because it may offend someone?

This story was posted in the "Other Topics" forum because it has nothing to do with illegal immigration. Honestly, I didn't even consider the individuals name when posting the article. Heck, I would have posted it even if his name had been Bill Smith or George Jones.

For the record, I automatically assumed the guilty party was an American citizen.

Last modified 9/24/2008 - 11:41 pm
Originally created 092508

GOOD SAMARITAN TO THE RESCUE

Click-2-Listen



He risked his life to save students from bus fire




By ADAM AASEN, The Times-Union


With the rush of adrenaline and dark smoke flowing, it was all a blur for trucker James Horton.


sponsored links
Find Jacksonville Dentist
Jacksonville Dentists & Dental Offices - Cosmetic, Bonding & More.

www.YellowPages.com/Jacksonville
xd online magazines
Articles for xD Enthusiasts Spy Photos, Videos, Breaking News.

www.InsideLine.com
Magazine Subscription
Browse a huge selection now. Find exactly what you want today.

www.ebay.com
Ads by Yahoo!
The 43-year-old Jacksonville-based driver was heading back from Tampa on Tuesday afternoon when he saw a school bus engulfed in flames in Citra, not far from Ocala.

"God put us here for a reason, and we are here to help each other," Horton said Wednesday. "I could have drove right on by and not stopped and helped and that would have been like a bunch of other people did. But that's not me."

Twenty-one students were trapped in the flaming bus when Horton and three bystanders rushed in to carry them out. A 13-year-old girl he wasn't able to save died in the fire. Eight other students were injured - two critically.

Just seconds after Horton and the others got out of the bus, it exploded.

He can't remember how many children he saved or where they were when he entered. What he remembers most is the sounds of children screaming and the feeling of disbelief.

Chaos, smoke and danger

Horton said he was inside the bus for a matter of seconds because it was so chaotic. The smoke and heat were so dangerous that he couldn't stay long.

"It was really intense," he said. "You couldn't think - just looking. Trying to grab somebody to save. Once we got off the bus it was fully engulfed, and if we stayed any longer, we would have died, too, because it blew up."

Horton said he tried to save the teen who died, but she was trapped under a seat and they couldn't reach her. He said he didn't know what to do, but he had to get out or he would have died as well.

Her name hasn't been released to the public.

Horton was delivering tires for Barron's Wholesale Tire when he saw the crash.

Authorities said Reinaldo Gonzalez, a 30-year-old tractor-trailer driver, was on his cell phone when he hit the bus on U.S. 301 near 155th Street in Marion County.

Thinking of his own children

After the rescue, Horton said, he immediately went to the side of road and started crying because he knew that his three children - ages 17, 14 and 11 - were on a school bus in Jacksonville at the same time. He said he prayed to God that his children were safe and called later to check on them.

Horton said he talked to Gonzalez at the scene, covered in blood, and he feels for him, "because his life is over with. He'll never drive and he'll probably go to prison."

No charges have been filed in the accident.

David Golden, the operational manager at Barron's, said he never allows his truck drivers to talk on a cell phone while driving because it's a safety concern. If a driver speeds through a school zone once, he said he'll fire the employee.

Golden said Horton is one of his best truck drivers, "a burly man like that," who's as good a guy as he is a driver.

Haunted by the screams

Horton didn't take a day off and was back at work on Wednesday, driving to Savannah. He said he owed it to his employer, but it was an emotional day.

"I haven't been able to eat," he said. "Sleeping was difficult because I keep running through my mind the sounds of children screaming. That sticks in my mind. Just to know the little girl burned to death. I don't even want to think about it, but that's in my mind, too, because I keep hearing screams."

Horton said he's uncomfortable with TV stations calling him a hero. The one thing he doesn't think twice about: whether he should have stopped.

adam.aasen@jacksonville.com,

(904) 359-4247

http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/s ... 7822.shtml

Twenty-one students were trapped in the flaming bus when Horton and three bystanders rushed in to carry them out. A 13-year-old girl he wasn't able to save died in the fire.

Does anyone know if the girl that died was conscious when the bus was engulfed in flames?