andrewchang Tue Mar 16, 2010 11:29 amOn Feb. 27, shortly before 7 p.m, a bus traveling northbound on the I-605 carrying 11 members of the New Spirit show choir crashed through a chain-link fence just outside of Irwindale. The bus then stopped temporarily against a pile of dirt before tumbling down an embankment. Miraculously, none of the 11 students were injured significantly; however, while they only suffered minor cuts and bruises leaving the bus, the incident as a whole was extremely frightening to not only the members of New Spirit, but the entire student population at AHS.
“I was, of course, worried and concerned about the welfare of the girls, even thought they said everyone was fine. I assume that all in Chanteurs were concerned, as well,” explained the girls’ advisor, Mr. Rolland Maxson. Mr. Maxson’s perspective seemed to mirror many of the sentiments of New Spirit that day—senior Hana Rudolph, who had stayed behind at the show and didn’t board the bus, remarked upon how everyone was crying “partly out of worry, because we didn't know how severe the situation was, partly out of relief that everyone was safe, partly out of guilt that we couldn't be there with them.”
The last recorded major bus incident occurred on July 14, 1959, wherein according to the San Gabriel Valley Tribune an AHS school bus crashed on Santa Anita Ave, killing one and injuring many others. The reason for this bus crash was attributed to the overheated air brakes. In the case of the New Spirit bus crash, however, the driver apparently lost consciousness according to the Pasadena Star News and was hospitalized later on because he may have had a prior medical condition. Remarked sophomore Greg Chang, “these are all very important factors, from the past bus crash to the one that just happened, that we need to address. We should really prioritize bus safety, especially after this incident.” Sophomore Sandra Chan agreed, adding that “even though [she] travel[s] a lot on school buses, [she] would feel safe if only we used this experience as a reminder that safety is critically important.”
The solution, according to junior New Spirit member Jaslyn Elders, could have been to “go through the safety procedures because [she] was clueless when [she] tried opening the emergency exist.” Hana agreed, furthering that “the emergency door wouldn't open, there were no emergency lights, and they couldn't get the windows open to let out the stifling smoke.... so I know that most of the girls who were on that bus are now frightened of it.” In the end, however, Mr. Maxson put it best when he said that “The district does what it feels is right to insure the safety of the students. This was an accident, in the rain, that I don't think was caused by any shortcomings of the district or our school.”
“I was, of course, worried and concerned about the welfare of the girls, even thought they said everyone was fine. I assume that all in Chanteurs were concerned, as well,” explained the girls’ advisor, Mr. Rolland Maxson. Mr. Maxson’s perspective seemed to mirror many of the sentiments of New Spirit that day—senior Hana Rudolph, who had stayed behind at the show and didn’t board the bus, remarked upon how everyone was crying “partly out of worry, because we didn't know how severe the situation was, partly out of relief that everyone was safe, partly out of guilt that we couldn't be there with them.”
The last recorded major bus incident occurred on July 14, 1959, wherein according to the San Gabriel Valley Tribune an AHS school bus crashed on Santa Anita Ave, killing one and injuring many others. The reason for this bus crash was attributed to the overheated air brakes. In the case of the New Spirit bus crash, however, the driver apparently lost consciousness according to the Pasadena Star News and was hospitalized later on because he may have had a prior medical condition. Remarked sophomore Greg Chang, “these are all very important factors, from the past bus crash to the one that just happened, that we need to address. We should really prioritize bus safety, especially after this incident.” Sophomore Sandra Chan agreed, adding that “even though [she] travel[s] a lot on school buses, [she] would feel safe if only we used this experience as a reminder that safety is critically important.”
The solution, according to junior New Spirit member Jaslyn Elders, could have been to “go through the safety procedures because [she] was clueless when [she] tried opening the emergency exist.” Hana agreed, furthering that “the emergency door wouldn't open, there were no emergency lights, and they couldn't get the windows open to let out the stifling smoke.... so I know that most of the girls who were on that bus are now frightened of it.” In the end, however, Mr. Maxson put it best when he said that “The district does what it feels is right to insure the safety of the students. This was an accident, in the rain, that I don't think was caused by any shortcomings of the district or our school.”