A school bus driver has been fired after allegedly shouting ‘I’m not gonna stop for no train’ before her vehicle narrowly avoided being hit on a railway crossing.
Children on Yvonne Hampton’s bus could be heard screaming at her when they saw the train come hurtling towards them on Monday morning.
It passed by at speed with just millimeters to spare, sending panic through the bus in Bushnell, Florida.
One of the 27 children and two adults who were on the bus posted a video on TikTok showing the chaos inside.
Another student told News 6 she was ‘terrified, because all I could see was the train hitting the bus.’
Hampton, 67, was arrested on child neglect charges and failing to stop at a railroad crossing.
Witness Christina Armstrong said: ‘The bus had stopped before the tracks, and then it started to go.
‘A car had changed into the other lane by the looks of it. I saw the bus pull forward, but not enough.
‘I wanted to cry. I immediately started to pray afterward because it was a lot.’
Sumter County School District Superintendent Logan Brown described the train’s conductor as a ‘hero in this situation.
He added: ‘A matter of six inches is the difference in all of this, and it could have been an extremely catastrophic situation.’
Hampton, who had worked for the district for over a decade, was later released on bond.
Following the incident, the bus route has been diverted to avoid the crossing due to the absence of a traffic signal and there being limited space for buses.
Discover more from USNewsRank
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.