Truck driver charged for hitting Levy school bus

Damaged Levy County bus
A damaged bus after a tractor trailer slammed into the back of it on US 19 in southern Levy County. (Courtesy of FHP)

A truck driver who plowed a tractor trailer into a stopped Levy County school bus is facing six charges in connection with the accident, which left several children injured.  

Frederick Campbell

On Wednesday Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) confirmed that the state had charged Frederick Campbell, 35, for reckless driving with serious bodily injury, failure to obey a traffic control device, failure to stop for a school bus, careless driving, falsification of time records, and operating a CMV with an out of service condition.  

Campbell was not arrested last week when the charges were filed because he is already in state prison on unrelated charges, according to FHP spokesman Patrick Riordan.  

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The crash took place in an unincorporated area of southern Levy County on March 30. Dashcam footage released on the Twisted Truckers Facebook page showed the truck was traveling at 72 miles per hour when it slammed into the bus, which had stopped to unload students on US 19.  

The bus was carrying 10 children at the time of the accident, seven of whom had to be hospitalized, including two in serious condition. The children ranged from 7 to 14 years old, according to the crash report.  

“Contact was made with the six listed witnesses [watching],” FHP Trooper Jake Adkins wrote in the crash report. “All six witnesses advised that V02 was stopped in the right lane with its flashing lights on and stop sign extended out when V01 collided with the rear of V02.” 

One of the children had just disembarked from the bus and was injured by debris from the collision.  

The investigation into the accident quickly turned into a criminal probe, but the state did not file charges until Oct. 24.  

The investigation also sparked scrutiny of the shipping company that owned the truck Campbell was driving. Denmark Cargo Solution LLC had only had its operating authority for two years when the crash occurred. Federal safety records show Denmark’s drivers and trucks are removed from service at rates above the national averages. 

A rendering of the March crash in which a tractor trailer hit a Levy County school bus. Source: FHP

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