Rainy conditions lead to Moran bus accident

A Moran ISD bus overturned Thursday morning while en route to pick up students in Breckenridge. The incident occurred around 6:00 a.m. at the intersection of FM 576 and CR 292 in Stephens County.

According to Superintendent Dr. John Denson, the bus was heading to Breckenridge when driver Brad Stautzenberger encountered a deer in the roadway while negotiating a sharp curve on wet roads.

“The driver was restrained, and the bus had just received new brakes and tires before school started in August,” Denson said. “He was not injured, and no students were on board.”

The bus slid sideways when the driver applied the brakes and tipped onto its side after hitting gravel.

Dr. Denson said the bus will no longer be used to transport students.

“We have three extra buses in our fleet, so we’re okay for now,” he said. “And we have funds in our budget to purchase a new bus.”

The superintendent noted the district had already been seeking grants to replace older buses with lower-emission vehicles and was in the process of looking for replacement buses.

“We have always tried to be prudent by purchasing good, used buses, but seat belts are now required by Texas law, and there are no good options out there for used buses with seat belts,” Denson said. “Installing seat belts is really too expensive to consider. We’re not going to just order a new bus immediately as a knee-jerk reaction. We have a little bit of time to do things right.”