A school bus driver in Florida has been arrested after a train narrowly missed her bus carrying 27 children and two adults. Yvonne Hampton, 67, was taken into custody on charges of child neglect and failing to stop at a railway crossing.
The incident occurred on Monday morning in Bushnell, Florida, when Hampton allegedly shouted 'I’m not gonna stop for no train' as she approached the crossing. Children on board could be heard screaming as the train passed within inches of the bus. A video posted on TikTok showed the panic inside the vehicle.
One student described being 'terrified, because all I could see was the train hitting the bus.' Witness Christina Armstrong said the bus had stopped before the tracks and then started to move forward. 'I saw the bus pull forward, but not enough. I wanted to cry. I immediately started to pray afterward because it was a lot,' she added.
Sumter County School District Superintendent Logan Brown praised the train conductor, calling him a 'hero in this situation'. He stated: '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, has been fired and 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 limited space for buses.
