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School Bus Driver In Baltimore Crash Was Not Authorized To Operate The Vehicle

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Documents released Thursday show the school bus driver should not have been behind the wheel at all. Ten people that were injured in the crash are still recovering. City police are still in the very early stages of their investigations.

The school bus driver's family says he was in good health, but the state says he failed to turn in the required medical paperwork to keep his commercial driver's license.

New video shows the sch0ol bus, seconds before it crashed. It shows a gray mustang headed eastbound on Frederick Avenue, the bus behind it appears to be travelling much faster.

"It couldn't have been doing no less than 60," said Raymond Kelly, who witnessed the accident.

"He was going fast. It looked like he put on no brakes at all," said Kelly.

Moments later, the school bus would slam into the mustang, before hitting an MTA bus, and killing six people.

"You just see a blur, and then the impact hits," said Shawn Braxton, the driver of the mustang. Braxton walked away from the accident uninjured.

The driver of the school bus, 67-year-old Glenn Chappell, was no longer authorized to drive the bus, and had not been for two months.

The Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration says Chappell never provided them with his Medical Examiner's certificate, even though the agency sent him two warning letters.

The certificate from the Medical Examiner requires an examination by a doctor, and the federal government mandates it for all drivers of commercial vehicles.

"They suspended the license, but he's still behind the wheel. Why?" said attorney Dan Miller. Miller has handled many cases involving commercial vehicle accidents, but cautions against a rush to judgement.

"You have to let them come to the conclusions based on facts, not on conjecture," said Miller.

Chappell did pass a yearly physical exam five months ago, required of all school bus drivers in the city.

His records are among the many things NTSB  and City Police investigators are looking into, as they work to determine the cause.

"If this incident did happen because of a medical condition, had he not been behind the wheel, it might not have happened," said Miller.

Investigators have not yet determined who is at fault. Chappel worked for AA Affordable Transportation, who put out a statement late Thursday, cautioning against speculation and saying they are working with investigators.

Police named five of the six deceased victims on Wednesday:

THE VICTIMS

  • School bus driver, Glenn R. Chappell, 67
  • MTA bus driver, Ebonee Danell Baker, 33
  • Cherry Denise Yarborough, 51, of 51200 Woolverton Ave., Baltimore
  • Terance Lee Casey, 52, of 200 Saint Matthews Street, Baltimore
  • Gerald Holloway, 51, of 600 Dumbarton Ave., Baltimore
  • 46-year-old female of no fixed address, next-of-kin not yet determined

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