Jefferson County, Texas — 14-year-old Juan Olvera and 13-year-old Cecilia Olvera have been hospitalized after being struck and pinned by a pickup truck on Monday afternoon (02/10/2014) at around 4:15 p.m.
According to reports, the Hamshire-Fannett school bus was heading eastbound on Highway 73 when it stopped near Elgin Road to drop the children off at their home. The siblings had just exited the school bus when the driver of a pickup truck pulling a trailer (also traveling eastbound) struck them with his vehicle. According to the driver, 44-year-old Glen Travis Luckey, he did not see the stopped school bus until it was too late, even though the bus reportedly had its flashing lights activated and traffic was stopped. Luckey slammed on his brakes, the car veered right, and he lost control of his vehicle striking the two teenagers as they stood near the driveway.
Juan and Cecilia Olvera were pinned underneath the truck and trailer until they were rescued and transferred by air ambulance to Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston. The teens are reportedly alert, talking and expected to recover.
According to the Texas DPS, the driver, Glen Luckey, has been charged with failure to drive in a single lane, operating an unregistered trailer, and for safety chain violations – all misdemeanor traffic violations. There is a possibility of more charges being filed.
I’d also like to note that there have been some who claim that an 18-wheeler was also stopped on the roadway, and that Mr. Luckey had swerved right to avoid the big rig. The truck, of course, would be required to stop when a school bus is unloading. This would still likely mean that the pickup driver negligently caused the accident, as a driver operating under the rules of the road would be able to see and assess any stopped traffic ahead.