North-Central Pennsylvania School Bus Accident Leads To Charges

Posted on Dec 06, 2012

A Dushore area woman faces misdemeanor charges in connection with a school bus accident in Wilmot Township. The driver of the bus, 47-year-old Penny Jean Gorens of the Dushore area, has been charged with the misdemeanors of endangering the welfare of children and leaving the scene of the Nov. 12 crash resulting in injury, police said.

According to state police, Gorens was driving a Wyalusing School District bus at an unsafe speed when she turned from Burke Road onto Cotter Road, and, as a result, lost control of the vehicle, the state police at Towanda said in a press release that they issued on Wednesday. The bus, which had children aboard, left the roadway and drove off a 7-foot embankment into a field.

Several students were injured in the accident, which occurred at 4 p.m. on Nov. 12. However, Gorens failed to check students for injury and failed to verify if the bus was damaged.

Although witnesses had advised Gorens that 911 was called, Gorens fled the scene with the bus and children on board. Emergency responders later caught up with Gorens and the bus a distance from the scene. However, Gorens refused treatment of the children at that time. In addition to the misdemeanor charges, Gorens has been charged with summary offenses related to her operation of the bus as well as false reports, police said.

None of the 40 children who were on the bus at the time of the accident were seriously injured, said Wyalusing schools Superintendent Chester Mummau, who added that some of the students received scrapes, bruises and bumps.

Several parents took their children to be evaluated at Memorial Hospital’s Emergency Room after the accident, Mummau said.

Gorens, who is employed by Student Transportation of America Inc., was suspended without pay after the accident.

Since August 2012, Student Transportation of America has held the contract for the bus route that Gorens was driving, Mummau said.

The bus is owned by STA of Pennsylvania.

If you have been injured due to the negligence of another driver, contact a Pennsylvania bus accident crash lawyer at 717-888-8888 or (717) 888-8888 for a free case review. You may also download a free copy of our book Who Pays the Bills When You Are Injured in an Automobile Accident? for more information about how Schmidt Kramer Accident Lawyers can help.

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North-Central PA School Bus Accident Leads To Charges