Bus driver over legal limit with 44 children on board: VA police

The driver of a school bus carrying dozens of elementary school students on a field trip had a blood alcohol content more than twice the legal limit, Virginia state officials said.

During the tests, the bus left the road and went into a ditch nine children were injuredaccording to the Fairfax County Police Department.

“Obviously, this is a very troubling situation,” Capt. Rachel Levy said in a video of the news conference that WTTG posted on Facebook. “We expect our children to go to school and come home safely every day, including on an excursion.”

Now, a number of criminal cases have been brought against the man who was driving the bus, including drunken driving. In an Oct. 28 press release, police did not list attorney information for the driver, identified as 48-year-old Troy Reynolds.

Lewis Ferebee, superintendent of neighboring D.C. public schools, said in an online message that there was an “isolated traffic incident” that affected Murch. Primary school students October 27. The children were medically evaluated and were not seriously injured, the county said.

“DCPS is taking this incident very seriously and our teams will be conducting a thorough review of our transportation providers to ensure that student safety is always a priority,” Ferebee wrote in a statement posted on Twitter.

Police said 44 students and four adults were on the bus after a field trip to Cox Farms in Centerville, Virginia. The driver was reportedly taking students back to Murch Elementary School in Washington, D.C., when the bus went into a ditch on Braddock Road in Fairfax County, Virginia.

“The bus collided with a rock, causing the rim to bend and the rear tire to go flat,” officials wrote. “Reynolds continued to drive until the adults on the bus convinced him to follow a second bus that was also returning to school from a field trip. Two buses stopped at the parking lot.”

Emergency services were called to the parking lot, where officers said nine students were treated for non-life-threatening injuries. Children from two buses were taken to another location before returning to school.

Among the two buses, the police found 18 safety violations.

Reynolds, a resident of Maryland, was arrested and taken to jail. He is accused of having a blood alcohol level of 0.2, more than twice that The legal driving limit in Virginia 0.08.

“Reynolds charged with driving while intoxicated – 2^th within 5-10 years with a child, commercial DWI with child endangerment and nine counts of gross, wanton or reckless child endangerment,” officials wrote. “Additionally, Reynolds’ license was found to be revoked in Virginia from a prior DWI and suspended in Maryland.”