Posted on 02/22/2008 6:43:56 AM PST by Sopater
MARSHALL, MINN. - The 23-year-old woman whose van collided with a school bus was arrested Thursday afternoon and booked on suspicion of criminal vehicular operation in connection with the crash that killed four children near Cottonwood, Minn.
Alianiss Morales, of Minneota, Minn., is expected to be charged and make her first court appearance this morning, said Lyon County Attorney Rick Maes.
The Minnesota State Patrol's investigation of the crash continued Thursday, and Maes said much of the paperwork from the investigation was already on his desk.
"One [part of the investigation] is whether she was operating the vehicle in a grossly negligent manner," Maes said.
"So we need to look at what exactly witnesses identified at that particular intersection."
Maes would not elaborate on Morales' actions that led to the arrest, and declined to say whether she was speeding. Other charges are possible, but it is unlikely that other drivers involved will be charged, Maes said.
The driver of the pickup truck involved in the crash said that the van driven by Morales hit the side of the school bus at the intersection of Minnesota Hwy. 23 and County Road 24 near Cottonwood on Tuesday afternoon.
The bus skidded on its side into the pickup truck driven by James Hancock, 47, of Marshall, who is hospitalized with a broken leg, a broken hand and other injuries.
The children who died were Jesse Javens, 13, and Hunter Javens, 9, both of Cottonwood; Reed Stevens, 12, of Marshall; and Emilee Olson, 9, of Cottonwood. They were among 28 students on the bus. In addition to Hancock, eight children remained hospitalized in Sioux Falls, S.D., Marshall and Rochester.
Reactions to Morales' arrest were mixed at a prayer service Thursday.
(Excerpt) Read more at startribune.com ...
“In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the person’s becoming in every facet an American and nothing but an American...There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn’t an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag... We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language... and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people.”
Theodore Roosevelt 1907
You mean to tell me she is to dumb to cut and past! Are perhaps you don’t know yourself.
>>You mean to tell me she is to dumb to cut and past! Are perhaps you don’t know yourself.<<
Is this what you are asking me about? (I wasn’t quite sure with that “Are perhaps....” question) See? I did notice that you didn’t “cut and paste” any of my post to quote. If you need some help with that in the future, I’m more than willing to help you.
Come to think of it, I could even bold it or underline it or make it a different color if I wanted to. While HTML is fun too, I don’t want to.
And, if the “she” you are refering to is Metmom, it is FR protocol to ping that person you are speaking about. I’ll do it for you. Apparently, you didn’t know.
Next, if you are talking about cutting and pasting from a ping list, that kind of defeats the purpose of a “Ping List”. Doesn’t it? That’s why the feature is here on FR. So that you can name your ping list. Ours is named “Another reason to homeschool”. I’m not seeing the problem here but some people are just offended easily.
Give it up, lady!
The post was about tragic deaths, and all you think about is “why to homeschool” or whatever??
You really do not see how that seems insensitive?
Wow, just wow!
Please do not post to me again.
Thanks.
keeper
In accordance with FR protocol, I cannot post to someone that asked me not to. (bye Keeper, sorry you couldn’t give a straight answer)
Hey Metmom, you evil thing, do you see how posting to your ping list is sooooo insensitive?
Wow, just wow. XD
Yes, this post is about the tragic deaths of four children and because of that, I certainly don’t see that it’s appropriate to have a meltdown about the name of a ping list and ragging on people about it, either. If you don’t like the name of the list, deal with it on another thread.
The name of the list is the name of the list.
Everyone who has a problem with that is hereby put on notice that I am NOT rearranging it to suit a bunch of people with so much time on their hands that all they have to worry about is the name of a ping list.
If someone doesn’t like the name of the list and seeing it when a courtesy ping is made to update people on a situation others are praying about, then one doesn’t have to look at it.
I see lots of things I don’t like and I just pass over it. Much easier on the blood pressure.
I wish that the name of a ping list was the worst thing I ever had to deal with.
You two are the ones making a big deal. It’s sad you can’t just accept it and move on.
Oooops! Thought you said this....
>>Please do not post to me again.
Thanks.<<
Normally, that goes both ways.
So, Please do not post to me again.
Thanks.
That is fine with me.
I never meant to start a battle with you all.
keeper
Um, no.....we're not the ones making the big deal.
Post 124 keeper 53The post was about tragic deaths, and all you think about is “why to homeschool” or whatever?? You really do not see how that seems insensitive? Wow, just wow!
Post 117 keeper 53 BECAUSE it was in poor taste, okay?
Post 115 keeper 53 I just thought it seemed insensitive, and I still think so.
Post 112Sorry, I still think the “ping” is in poor taste.
Do you not see that it's just the name of the ping list that was pinged for an update? I can continue.
We're not the ones making the big deal, but don't let the truth get in your way. But I see that any further discussion will not result in anything more than more denial.
Good night.
Goodnight.
And we all understand your agenda, you must sell home schooling junk.
I am on metmom’s “Another Reason to Homeschool”. I am grateful for her work in maintaining this list because without it I would miss many articles on public, private, and homeschool education. We do have a “Public Education” ping list but that list is not always reliable. I don’t recall the “Public Education” list being pinged on this thread.
17,000 children are admitted to hospital emergency rooms every year for specifically school bus related injuries.
These 17,000 injuries do **not** include the children who go to private dentists and physicians or school nurses for treatment. Every year children are crushed and dragged to death by their school buses. Adult supervisors on the back of the buses ( and to help children cross the street), video cameras, and two way communication systems with school authorities for the bus driver would help prevent many of these injuries and deaths. Another source of injury is placing 3 students to a seat. The child on the aisle is the child most often injured when they are ejected from their seat during something even as simple as a sudden stop.
Seat belts would prevent many injuries and deaths in side impact and roll-over accidents such as this specific accident. Yes, the driver was an illegal, but there are plenty of accidents ( most)just like it in which the driver causing the accident was not illegal. From what I have read, the “compartalimentazion and containment” theory of keeping children without seat belts has only been tested in front end test crashes. Child are **NOT** contained in side impact and roll over accidents. On the contrary, they are thrown all over the inside of the bus in these types of accidents.
Then there is the design of the school buses themselves. More escape hatches on the roofs of the buses would facilitate removal of the children ( and prevent possible deaths from smothering, smoke inhalation, and crushing weight). The actual height of the seat in several inches lower on most school buses than that used in the test crashes, however increasing the height of the seat would mean more bullying and sexual activity on the bus. The padding on the seats in too many school buses is forbidden in private vehicles because of its flamability and toxic smoke in a fire. The seat material is very slippery and this is a cause of many accidents.
Let’s not forget the environment of the school bus itself, even if it does arrive safely to and from school. Freepers themselves have testified here on this board of the chaos, bullying, and sexual harassment commonly found on school buses.
Finally, the NTSA reports that children are safer on school buses than on cars. Hogwash!
This government agency did NOT compare accidents rates of **adult** parents and guardians driving children specifically to school with those children securely fastened in their car restraint. My guess is the reason they don’t report this is that it would make the parent’s safety record look very good and the school buses’ record look as bad as it actually is. 17,000 emergency room admissions for school bus injuries is a **very** high rate of highly unnecessary and preventable injury in my opinion.
So,,,Thanks to metmom, and her ping, I now have **more** reason to justify my decision to have homeschooled my children, and to recommend it to others.
If your child is homeschooled they will not be be riding **unrestrained** ( 3 to a seat) in a school bus of unsafe design. There will be no opportunity for them to be slammed around the inside of a school bus, and smothered by the weight of other children, due a side-impact, roll-over school bus accident caused either by a citizen, or a legal or illegal alien. Neither will they be raped, sexually harassed, bullied, physically or emotionally brutalized, or admitted to the hospital with lacerations, bruises, broken bones, internal injuries, or be in the dentist’s office with broken and avulsed teeth, fractured jaws or crushed sinuses.
School buses? This specific accident? My children or grandchildren? It’s a no brainer! Definitely another reason to homeschool!
In my opinion, the inherent safety of school buses, especially in side impact, tipping and roll over accidents such as this one, is a very good reason to “sell” homeschooling to other thoughtful parents.
And you still are trying to pack your rat trap home schooling agenda onto a serious problem.
Well if your posts reflect your education, you have a problem.
CINCINNATI -- Preventable home injuries for children and adolescents in the United States account for more than 2,800 deaths each year. While the number of incidents have decreased in recent years, fatalities from unintentional injuries at home continue to be a leading cause of death among children and teens in the U.S., according to Kieran J. Phelan, MD, pediatrics director of the Center for Evidence Based Pediatrics at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and an author of the study that appears in the August 2, 2005 issue of Pediatrics.
http://www.cincinnatichildrens.org/about/news/release/2005/8-home-injuries.htm
From YOUR article...
"Unintentional injury is the leading cause of death among children ages 14 and under. (why if this wouldn't just include those under school age)
In 2001, 5,526 children died from unintentional injuries; approximately 45 percent of these deaths occurred in and around the home. Unintentional home injury deaths to children are caused primarily by fire and burns, suffocation, drowning, firearms, falls, choking and poisoning. Young children are at increased risk from unintentional injuries in the home because it is where they spend most of their time."
Thanks for your help there, Captain Obvious.
I have looked at them. And they are **irrational** and invalid, especially for a **parent deciding whether to drive his properly seat belted child to school or not. !
It is **irrational** to compare school bus injuries per mile against children in cars for all reasons.
The parent needs to know the rate of accidents, deaths, injuries, and emergency room admissions for a child going **exclusively** to and from school, in a properly used and fasted seat restraint, with a parent or **adult** guardian. If you can find a comparison of this **rational** scenario as compared to school bus injuries and deaths, then **please send me the link! Please!
These stats aren’t available to my knowledge. I haven’t been able to find them. Why? Answer: Because if they were known, it would make school buses look as dangerous as they REALLY are!
Not only do friends not let friends send their kids to government school, friends do not let friends put their child on school bus! Ever!
Also,,,,even if school buses are safer than a parent with a child in a proper seat restraint going exclusively to and from school, we still have 17,000 admissions to emergency rooms that could be prevented with adult supervisors on the back of the buses, and adult monitors helping the children cross the street, video monitors on buses, more safety hatches on the roofs, seat covering that weren’t slippery, foam padding in the seats that wasn’t flammable and toxic, insisting that only 2 children sit on a bench seat, that all seats have properly designed side rails, that doors were designed not to snag children’s clothing resulting in dragging deaths and injuries, and swing out bars to help prevent buses crushing the students. These previous adjustments would reduce injuries and deaths even without adding seat belts. (By the way, “Compartmentalization” has only been tested in front impact crashes, and never for side or roll over accidents.)
School buses? It’s a no brainer, in my opinion. It is absolutely another reason to homeschool!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.