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11 Giunta Students Out Of Hospital After Bus Crash

CHRIS TAYLOR / News Channel 8

11 students were injured when a bus on its way to Giunta Middle School veered off the road today.

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By KEVIN BRADY | TBO.com

Published: September 4, 2007

Updated: 09/04/2007 11:37 pm

Video Report: Student Talks | Aerials Of The Scene | Photos

Map: Site Of Bus Crash | Bus Operator Requirements .pdf

TAMPA - Hillsborough County school officials spent Tuesday trying to determine the employment and driving history of a woman whose bus careened into the woods in Riverview, sending 11 students to hospitals.

The students, headed to Giunta Middle School in Riverview about 8:30 a.m, were treated at two local hospitals and released. The driver was cited for failure to wear a seat belt and careless driving.

If convicted, those charges could add five points to the driving record of Eugenie Shuler, school district spokesman Steve Hegarty said. Four points were levied against her driving record after a 2006 accident.

Eugenie Shuler

How long Shuler, 63, had actually worked for the district and exactly how many accidents and points were on her driving record stumped district officials throughout the day as they tried to respond to media questions.

"We have no record that she worked before 2000," Hegarty said early Tuesday afternoon, although her personnel record showed her original employment date as 1981.

By the end of the day, however, Hegarty found that payroll records did show that Shuler worked as a temporary driver between 1981 and 1984 and was rehired as a permanent driver in 2000. He had no evaluations or driving records for the time she was on temporary status.

Shuler's evaluations from 2000 through 2004 said her work was satisfactory, with comments such as "Doing a great job" and 'Doing a good job." District officials did not release her 2005 evaluation and, by law, cannot release the most recent evaluation.

Schuler was ticketed for careless driving after a Feb. 10, 2006, accident and received four points against her license, said Debbie Carter, spokeswoman for the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office. Details were unavailable because the office's computer was down, Carter said. Hegarty confirmed late Tuesday that the incident involved a school bus, but he had no details.

Shuler was also cited for speeding in February 2001, with adjudication withheld. Also, in 2002, a traffic citation was issued, state records show.

Whether a bus driver can continue to work after traffic accidents or convictions are determined by frequency and severity, school officials said. The district also has its own point system, which includes even minor infractions.

The state Department of Education, which links to the motor vehicles department's database to track bus driver records, requires school districts to check their bus drivers' records at least three times a year, including at hiring and at the beginning of each semester.

Hillsborough gets a weekly computerized list of any changes, including citations or change of address, in addition to a comprehensive list three times a year, Hegarty said.

School district transportation personnel then "check to see if they need to take any action," he said.

The district's report, released late Tuesday, showed that Shuler's bus, carrying 37 students, was traveling west on Still River Drive and hit the right-side curb with its right front tire as it lost control on a curve. Shuler fell out of the driver's seat and sat up in the stairwell as the bus came to rest against a tree. She says her seat belt came off when she hit the curb, the report said.

Shuler was cited for failure to wear a seat belt and careless driving, Carter said.

Schools spokeswoman Linda Cobbe said Shuler told her early Tuesday that the accident occurred after she tried to avoid "an armadillo or something" in the road.

"As she turned to avoid it, she said she had a problem with her seat belt, which became unlatched. The bus then hit a curb and drove into bushes," Cobbe said.

Reports that Shuler may have been talking on a cell phone were not substantiated, Hegarty said. All drivers are given radios, and some have personnel cell phones.

Shuler said she didn't have a cell phone. "Do you see a cell phone on me?" she replied when a reporter questioned her.

Witnesses said some of the children complained of neck, shoulder and arm pain after the accident. Four children were taken to Tampa General Hospital, and seven were taken to Brandon Regional Hospital.

"Not even bruises," Cobbe said. "More just aches and pains."

As procedure requires, Cobbe said Shuler will be tested for drugs and alcohol and will not drive again until an investigation by school authorities is concluded.

Reporters Kevin Brady, Tom Brennan and Beth Gaddis contributed to this report. Reporter Marilyn Brown can be reached at (813) 259-8069 or mbrown@tampatrib.com.

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