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NTSB: Driver in Baltimore bus crash had medical condition, other crashes

The school bus also appeared to have been speeding at the time of the crash, investigators said.

By Doug G. Ware
Investigators survey the damage from the crash of two buses in east Baltimore on Nov. 1 that killed six people. Wednesday, the NTSB released a preliminary report that said the school bus driver had a medical history and several other crashes on his driving record. Photo courtesy Maryland Transportation Authority Police
Investigators survey the damage from the crash of two buses in east Baltimore on Nov. 1 that killed six people. Wednesday, the NTSB released a preliminary report that said the school bus driver had a medical history and several other crashes on his driving record. Photo courtesy Maryland Transportation Authority Police

WASHINGTON, Dec. 7 (UPI) -- The driver of a school bus that hit a car and a transit bus last month, killing six people, had been involved in at least 12 other crashes in the last five years, the National Transportation Safety Board said Wednesday.

The investigative agency released a preliminary report on the Nov. 1 crash Wednesday, which detailed the incident and the medical history of the school bus driver.

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"The school bus driver had a history of hypertension, diabetes, and seizures. In the past 5 years, he had been involved in at least 12 crashes or incidents while operating a school bus or personal vehicle," the NTSB report said. "In addition, the week before the crash, paramedics were called ... because the school bus driver was experiencing what witnesses described as a seizure."

RELATED Nov. 1: Six killed in crash of school bus, commuter bus in Baltimore

Early on the morning of Nov. 1, the 67-year-old driver was navigating the bus in east Baltimore when it struck a car, crossed the center median and hit the Maryland Transit Administration bus. Four passengers and both drivers were killed in the crash. Nine other passengers were on the transit bus, and some received minor injuries.

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The NTSB said it also appears the school bus had been speeding.

"Mechanical inspections were completed on both buses, and no mechanical defects were identified," the report continued. "Preliminary information from [surveillance] videos indicates that the school bus was traveling approximately 57 mph just before striking the [car]."

The report also says the school bus driver held a medical certificate, denoting a medical condition, but it had not been filed with the state motor vehicle administration. As a result, the agency barred him from operating a commercial motor vehicle two months before the crash.

The NTSB said its investigation continues as investigators search for a cause.

Wednesday's preliminary report, though, will likely open the bus operator, AAAfordable Transportation, and possibly Baltimore City Public Schools to civil lawsuits from relatives of the victims.

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"The driver never should have been in any position where he was driving a school bus," attorney Kevin Goldberg told the Baltimore Sun.

"The way I see it, the school system delegated its duty to the bus company."

The school system cut ties to AAAfordable Transportation three weeks after the crash.

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