THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, May 18, 1996 TAG: 9605180288
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY STEVE STONE, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Short : 45 lines
A charter bus carrying 35 students and 9 adults on a field trip from Princess Anne Middle School ran into a ditch Friday morning, police said, slightly Injuring 10 students.
The driver was charged with reckless driving.
All of the injured students were taken to Virginia Beach General Hospital for treatment. The injuries were minor, police said.
The bus, owned by Norfolk Motor Coach Ltd. of Norfolk, was one of two taking students from four 6th-grade classes to the North Carolina Outer Banks.
About 8:30 a.m., the lead bus ran off the road and into a large ditch in the 2900 block of Seaboard Road. The accident occurred within a mile of the school.
Although the ditch was deep, the size of the bus was credited with preventing a more serious accident.
``Had it been a smaller vehicle, it would have overturned,'' said Mike Carey, a police spokesman. Instead, it became wedged in the ditch.
Police said the driver, James E. Harrell, 56, of Middlesex Road in Newport News, lost control of the bus.
A retired police officer, one of nine adult chaperones on the bus, said ``he felt the bus was not being operated properly,'' Carey said.
Harrell was charged with reckless driving. Alcohol was not a factor in the accident, Carey said.
At the request of city police, state police inspected the bus and found three defects:
One bald tire.
One brake out of adjustment on the steering axle.
An air leak in the braking system.
It was unclear Friday if the bus company faces charges. The accident remains under investigation.
KEYWORDS: ACCIDENT TRAFFIC BUSES INJURIES
PRINCESS ANNE MIDDLE SCHOOL ARREST by CNB