LAKE BUTLER, Fla. – At the end of a week in which seven children killed in a crash on a Union County highway were buried, investigators said they are looking at fatigue or distraction as possible reasons why a truck driver plowed into the stopped school bus and car.
Just before 3:30 p.m. on Jan. 25, a school bus stopped on state Road 121 to let out students. A Pontiac Bonneville with seven children from 15 years to 20 months old also stopped, waiting for the bus, when it was struck from behind by a tractor-trailer.
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The car was pushed into the back of the school bus and then burst into flames. The impact of the crash pushed the car 272 feet, and the bus 328 feet.
The semi ended up on its side in a ditch.
Thursday afternoon, federal, state and local investigators announced preliminary results of their crash investigation, finding no mechanical failure, no obstruction that would have prevented seeing the stopped vehicles, and no evidence of drug or alcohol use by the truck driver.
A reenactment of the crash showed that the stopped bus and car could be seen from at least 1,400 feet away, but investigators found only "light skid marks ... a short distance before the impact."
That driver, Alvin Wilkerson, 31, of Jacksonville, made an initial statement to the FHP, but refused to be interviewed by National Transportation Safety Board officials.
"Except for a nap, the truck driver had been awake 34 hours proceeding the accident," NTSB's David Rayburn said.
At the time of the crash, Wilkerson was driving a load of bottled water from High Springs to Jacksonville, a trip of about 85 miles. Evidence from witnesses and his log book showed Wilkerson was making deliveries and loading and unloading his truck during that period, but not driving the whole time.
"He was driving quite a bit during those 34 hours," Rayburn said.
Beyond fatigue, investigators are looking into distraction as a possible cause of the crash. A dog was in the cab with Wilkerson, and investigators are looking into whether that or other factors could have distracted his attention from the road.
Investigators Wilkerson was not talking on a cell phone, but Nikki Mann was. Despite that and the fact that she was not of legal driving age, none of the investigators felt she contributed in any way to the crash.
"She had a learner's permit, she shouldn't have been driving, but she was," Union County Sheriff Jerry Whitehead said. "Had her mother been driving, eight people would be dead."
Florida Highway Patrol Lt. Bill Leeper said toxicology testing found no evidence drugs or alcohol in Wilkerson's system.
"It may take several more weeks to conclude the investigation," Leeper said. "FHP traffic homicide investigators will then present all their evidence to the state attorney's office and a decision on charges will be made at that time."
The NTSB investigation is expected to take about a year.
The owner of the semi, Crete Carrier Corp. out of Lincoln, Neb., operates over 5,000 big rigs and employs a similar number of drivers. The NTSB said the company earned a satisfactory rating in its last safety review.
Accident investigators hoped to learn more from data recorders, but no crash recorder was on either the semi or the bus, and an electronic engine control module on the truck that is capable of recording braking and vehicle speed did not record the crash sequence.
Terry and Barbara Mann lost four of their children, a child they were about to adopt and two nieces in the crash.
Among the victims were: 15-year-old Nikki Mann, who was Terry Mann's biological daughter; and adopted children 15-year-old Elizabeth, 13-year-old Johnny and 3-year-old Heaven.
The Manns were in the process of adopting 21-month-old Anthony Lamb, who was also killed in the crash. The couple's nieces, 13-year-old Ashley Keen and 8-year-old Miranda Finn, also died.
The children's grandfather died of a heart attack after learning they all had been killed.
"We'll never forget these people. We don't want to ever forget them, but we will be there for them now and 20 years from now we'll talk about this and we'll pray with these people," Union County Commissioner Ricky Jenkins said Thursday after the last of the seven children's funerals.
Three of the students on the bus were seriously injured and remained hospitalized a week after the crash.
A review of the crash response found that 128 police, fire and medical personnel assisted at the accident scene. In addition to pinpointing the cause of the crash, the NTSB was also interested in learning why three students were ejected from the bus during the crash, and why the bus driver's seat fractured.
Previous Stories:
- February 2, 2006: Union County Remembers Youngest Victim Of Crash
- February 1, 2006: Family, Friends Pay Last Respects To Cousins Killed In Crash
- January 30, 2006: Four Children Buried In First Of Four Union County Funerals
- January 27, 2006: Lake Butler Gathers To Mourn Children Killed In Crash
- January 27, 2006: Victims Of Lake Butler Crash Were Part Of Close Clan
- January 26, 2006: Grief Compounded: Crash Victims' Grandfather Dies Of Heart Attack
- January 26, 2006: 7 Children Killed When Truck Slams Car Waiting On School Bus
- January 25, 2006: Seven Children Die, Others Injured In Fiery Union County Crash