Bus Driver Involved In Accident Placed On Leave

PIERCETON - The driver of the bus involved in a personal injury accident Wednesday is on indefinite administrative leave, according to Dr. William Worl.

Worl, superintendent for Whitko Community School Corp., updated the school board on the matter at a budget meeting Thursday.

Sara M. Austin, 52, of EMS B39W Lane, Leesburg, will remain on leave until a full investigation is complete. As part of the standard operating procedure, Austin went to Kosciusko Community Hospital for drug and alcohol testing following the accident.

Cassi M. Bause, 14, East CR 100N, remains in serious condition today at Parkview Hospital, Fort Wayne.

After the investigation is completed by the Kosciusko County Sheriff's Department and Indiana State Police, and after the test results are in, Worl said, he and Director of Curriculum Diana Showalter will review the matter and make a decision on Austin's return "in the best interests of the school corporation." He said Austin's driving record also will be reviewed.

Worl said he talked to Austin Thursday afternoon and she still feels "distraught" over the incident. He said she will receive counseling from Bowen Center.

Bause, he said, either fell down or was knocked down and the bus passed over her. It did not run over her.

"The young lady is doing well," he said. She suffered a broken knee and femur and was to undergo surgery on her femur Thursday. It doesn't appear she suffered any internal or head injuries in the accident, officials said.

Worl said he talked with Bause's father and assured him the school corporation will do what they can for the girl for her educational needs.

The school corporation's attorney and insurance company are aware of what's going on, he said.

Today, school officials were to meet with all the Whitko School Corp. bus drivers to talk about the accident and how the drivers can work through the trauma.

"This is the worst thing that can happen to a driver," Worl said.

Bause, he said, was smiling and laughing Thursday when he visited her. Showalter said she was feeling well enough Thursday to have a conference call at the hospital with some of the other students who were on the bus.

School board president Hal Trump said he thought it sounded like the school corporation officials did what they should have done in the matter. "We wish her a speedy recovery," he said.

Dave Tranter, school board member, asked Worl if he thought the school corporation was prepared for the accident.

"You learn lessons from these kind of experiences," Worl said. Drivers will be more alert now. In this particular case, he said, the "routine" was changed, "things were not normal" and a student got hurt because of it.

The school corporation does offer training sessions for all of its bus drivers, and the corporation will continue to watch for ways to improve bus safety.

He said, "The lessons we can learn from it are very powerful lessons, I think."