Mom of boy killed by bus accuses Disney of cover-up

Chase Brubaker, the 9-year-old boy struck and killed by a Walt Disney World bus Thursday in Lake Buena Vista, was described today as a cautious child who did everything right.

"His teachers already called,'' said his mother, Kelly Brubaker, 50, as she fought back tears. "They said he was the best boy ever. We already knew that."

Kelly Brubaker, her husband, Dick, Chase and an 11-year-old neighbor were vacationing in a recreational vehicle at Fort Wilderness Resort when the incident occurred. Chase and his playmate, Alexis Hansen, were on spring break this week in Pinellas County.

At the time of the wreck, Chase and Alexis Hansen were bicycling on Big Pine Drive, a two-lane road around the 750-acre Fort Wilderness complex, from their campsite to a pool, authorities and family members said.

There is a 6-foot-wide sidewalk separated from the roadway by a patch of grass, said Sgt. Kim Montes of the Florida Highway Patrol. According to a witness, Chase was riding on the sidewalk when, looking behind him, he drifted onto the grass and then into the southbound lane, where he hit the side of the bus, then slipped under the right rear tire, Montes said.

Kelly Brubaker, though, blames the bus driver. "How can you kill a 9-year-old boy who was riding his bike with his helmet?" she said. "Disney is trying to cover this up."

She said Alexis told her both children were on the sidewalk and that the bus ran up onto it.

"Kelly, we were on the sidewalk," Brubaker quoted the child as saying. "There's no reason for us to go off the sidewalk."

To at least one person who called the accident into a dispatcher, it appeared as if the boy left the sidewalk, according to a tape of the 911 calls about the accident.

"It looks as though a young child went out and pulled out in front of the bus,'' said one caller, whose identity was excised from the tape. "I'm right behind it."

Those rushing to the boy's aid told a dispatcher the child had died almost immediately.

"There's nothing to be done," one woman told the dispatcher.

Chase was a third-grader at Bauder Elementary School in Largo, his mother said. His mother said he was every child's favorite friend at the school.

"He's a good kid," she said. "He does whatever I tell him. He is not a daredevil. He's the most cautious kid ever. He doesn't like scary rides. Everyone says we had the best, well-behaved boy in the world. Every day he told me how pretty I was."

Kelly Brubaker said the bus driver was talking to people at the time of the wreck and wasn't paying attention, but the highway patrol said that wasn't the case.

"I understand the family is very upset," Sgt. Montes said. "I have a child. I can only imagine the trauma the family has gone through, but the physical evidence and witnesses do not support the theory that the bus left the roadway."

When asked to respond to Kelly Brubaker's comments that the driver was at fault, Disney spokeswoman Andrea Finger released the following statement: "We constantly review our operations, including safety procedures, and based on the information the Florida Highway Patrol has provided so far, we continue to believe our transportation is safe and we don't anticipate making any additional changes.

We continue to offer care and support to those involved in yesterday's accident, including the Brubaker family, and on behalf of our cast members, our hearts and prayers go out to the families ... in extending our deepest sympathies."

The driver, David Russell Rich, 56, of Montverde has worked 30 years for Disney. Finger said he has asked for some personal time off and is on paid leave.

The incident came during one of the busiest travel times at the area's theme parks, with many schools across the country out for spring break and Easter weekend approaching.

Thursday's crash was the latest in a string of transportation incidents at Disney in recent months.

A Walt Disney World bus rear-ended a charter bus near the entrance to the Epcot park March 23. The bus driver, who was later cited for careless driving, and seven passengers were injured in the crash. Florida Highway Patrol troopers noted that the tour bus was improperly stopped in the road, which contributed to the collision.

Two buses also collided at Walt Disney World in July. A dozen people suffered minor injuries in the incident and were taken to hospitals for treatment.

That crash occurred just days after 21-year-old monorail operator Austin Wuennenberg was killed when two of the trains crashed. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration fined Walt Disney World $35,200 for workplace violations in that incident.

Disney World employs about 1,200 bus drivers who operate a fleet of about 300 buses, the Sentinel reported. They must take part in a 4½-week instruction program and three weeks of training on site, Disney told the paper. That's in addition to a state licensing exam, drug testing and a physical examination.